Chicago City Council rejects proposal to ban sweepstakes machines
Approximately 7,000 unregulated sweepstakes machines are believed to operate in the city.
US.- The Chicago City Council has voted 33-15 to reject a proposal that would have banned sweepstakes machines in the city.
Alderman Anthony Beale of the 9th Ward had introduced the proposal, aiming to eliminate competition for newly authorised video gambling terminals (VGT). He said that there are around “7,000 illegal sweepstakes machines that we know of” in Chicago, which are not recognised by the Illinois Gaming Board.
“There are some areas of the city that have 20 to 30 machines in a gas station. That’s a mini-casino operating illegally that we’re not getting a dime from,” he was reported as saying.
However, Budget Committee chair Jason Ervin argued that sweepstakes machines were not illegal gambling machines but “amusement devices.”
