The Illinois Gaming Board has approved proposed rules that would extend the state’s voluntary self-exclusion program to video gaming terminals. The October 22 vote advances a system requiring identity checks before customers can purchase vouchers to play.
The proposal would cover a network of roughly 50,000 machines operating in businesses including bars, gas stations, and hotels. Video gaming terminals currently fall outside the self-exclusion arrangements available for other regulated gambling products in Illinois.
Under the proposed system, customers would no longer insert cash directly into gaming machines. They would purchase vouchers at redemption terminals, where checks would confirm that they are at least 21 and absent from the self-exclusion list. Cash would remain an option for purchasing those vouchers.
Identity verification would support exclusions while allowing optional digital gaming accounts
Customers could also fund play through digital video gaming accounts, although opening an account would be voluntary. Operators offering accounts would have to provide responsible gambling limits, prevent excluded customers from registering, and stop sending promotional material to people on the exclusion list.
The proposal follows changes adopted in September to expand enrollment options and introduce different self-exclusion periods. The board also established a voluntary 12-month marketing exclusion list for people leaving the program.
The rules must pass through the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules process before taking effect, with opportunities for public comment. Separately, LNW Gaming has been contracted to upgrade the technology connecting terminals to the exclusion database; Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter said he expected that work to be ready for deployment in 2027.
