I moved to Chicago at 18. I went to DePaul and lived in the Loop for three years. So instead of a slide deck, I'm showing you our free tools on the places I actually spent my nights.
Two questions matter to every Chicago bar and restaurant owner right now. Am I eligible for video gaming? And if I am, what would it be worth? We built a free tool for each at Monte Cristo Gaming.
Tool 1: Check Your Eligibility
Type in your business name, street address or Illinois liquor license number. The tool checks your liquor license type against Chicago's ordinance and tells you where you stand.
Every result now shows the license details from the Illinois Liquor Control Commission's Chicago export of November 3: class, retail type, effective, issue and expiration dates, and the owners on file. If your license covers drinks on the premises, you're eligible.
Tool 2: The VGT Revenue Projector
The projector looks at the things outside your control that drive video gaming revenue. Those include your business type, traffic at the door, the people and incomes around you, and competition. It's built from the results of about 7,500 live Illinois gaming locations, compared against 26,000+ liquor licensees.
Chicago is far denser than anywhere video gaming runs today. So Chicago addresses are scored with a model built only from Illinois's densest live markets, places like Cicero, Berwyn, Oak Lawn and Waukegan. It also assumes the competition of a mature market, because no Chicago location is live yet.
Four stops on my Chicago tour
The Lodge Tavern, 21 W Division St (Gold Coast): eligible. Market expects $283 per terminal per day, the 86th percentile of bars.
Kelly's Pub, 949 W Webster Ave (Lincoln Park): eligible. Market expects $178 (65th percentile).
Miller's Pub, 134 S Wabash Ave (The Loop): eligible. Market expects $172 (63rd percentile).
Hugo's Frog Bar, 1024 N Rush St (Gold Coast): eligible. Market expects $295 (88th percentile).
The Lodge Tavern. At 18 I lived in Streeterville and walked down to Division. The Lodge sits in one of the strongest bar markets in the city: dense, busy and full of people out for the night.
Kelly's Pub. My DePaul years, right on the L tracks. Within a half mile of Kelly's live about 20,500 people. The typical Illinois bar has about 2,300.
Miller's Pub. I finished my business degree at DePaul's Loop campus and lived at State and Monroe. Almost everything in the Loop closes at night, so Miller's cheeseburgers were a staple. It was my mom's spot too, back when she danced with the Chicago Ballet. Traffic on Wabash at the door runs about 21,900 vehicles a day.
Hugo's Frog Bar. After Lakeview and the Gold Coast, Hugo's on Rush. Instead of running the projector there, I used our third tool, Design Your Casino Room. You can pick the lighting, flooring, privacy walls and signage, and see the room before it exists.
The video was recorded before our November 4 Chicago model update, so the figures on screen differ from the ones above. The tools show the current numbers.
What the projection is, and what it isn't
A projection describes your market. It can't see inside your four walls. Your hours, your room, your service and your operator's player programs decide where you land inside the range. The best operators move a location 5 to 15 percent. The market sets the starting line.
Then, if it fits, reserve your place
Monte Cristo Gaming signs non-binding letters of intent, not contracts. You pick the terms: the number of games, the game mix, how often you're paid (weekly, on Mondays, if you like) and the length of the term. I review every one myself, and I'll call you or stop by.
We're built for high performers, locations whose market supports $200 or more per terminal per day. That's not about making more money. It's about backing the promises: annual upgrades and a dedicated account manager with no more than 10 to 15 locations.
Top shelf operators deserve top shelf service. Raise the bar.
Questions? Call me at 312-970-0YES (312-970-0937).
Projections are estimates from public data, not a forecast or guarantee of results. Eligibility is subject to City of Chicago rulemaking, license verification and Illinois Gaming Board licensure. Monte Cristo Gaming (QBFOX, LLC) has applied to the Illinois Gaming Board for a terminal operator license. Letters of intent are non-binding. Location imagery: Google Street View. 21+. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
