Video Poker to Benefit Illinois

If there is one thing to be said about the issue of whether or not video poker should be legalized or banned is that Illinois is going to reap the benefits of allowing video poker in allowed establishments.

Right now, owners of establishments as well as the players are eagerly waiting for the arrival of the video poker machines.  This will mean a lot of things to the people of Illinois, of course.  For one, players will get the chance to win some extra bucks, and the owners of the establishments will also reap in the profits from the said machine.  Two, the revenues taken from the video poker industry will go to Illinois' Capital Plan's funds.

The Advantages of Video Poker

John Patch, co-owner of Allied Games, an amusement operator, states in an interview that this will be good for every body.  Those people who want to cut back on their expenses would rather spend some money on video poker machines near them than go to cities like Las Vegas and Atlantic City.  With bets ranging from a minimum of 5 cents to a maximum of $2, people are given more choices.  Furthermore, video poker machines will provide the same entertainment, minus the risk of betting like a high roller.  He also admitted that, since his company controls a large part of Illinois, it could mean bigger business and profits for them.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn also stated that any revenues taken from video poker will go directly to the Capital Plan, and they expect to reap big profits from these machines as they will be placed on establishments that serve liquor as well as truck stops.  Video poker will also be allowed in veteran halls as well as some fraternal clubs.

Smoothing the Way for Video Poker

Although there are some concerns when it comes to this new legislation, especially after Iowa banned video poker, the State of Illinois is confident that they have done a good job of smoothing the way for allowing video poker.

Unlike Iowa which placed machines in even grocery stores and convenience stores, making it easily accessible to just about anybody, even minors, Illinois thoroughly planned the locations where the video poker machines will be allowed.  Furthermore, Illinois' regulation took more than a year in planning, so they are confident that they have covered all the necessary bases to avoid what happened to Iowa.

A Big Disadvantage

There is one setback though that Patch stated — the price.  The price of one video poker machine costs around $1,200 to $2,500, but since the establishments that are going to offer video poker are allowed to use only the state-certified machines, the cost of each machine will increase to as much as $12,000 to $15,000.

TagsBenefit Illinois, Las Vegas, online poker, poker, poker industry, Video Poker

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