A Video Gaming Hurricane: Illinois Cashless, Pennsylvania’s Shutdown and Chicago’s First Licenses
A Friday look back at four frenzied weeks: Illinois’ cashless and ID rules for video gaming, Pennsylvania’s skill games shutdown, and Chicago’s first video gaming licenses.
I Took My Favorite Chicago Bars Through Our Tools. Here’s What They Could Earn.
From Division Street at 18 to Rush Street today: four Chicago spots, checked for video gaming eligibility and projected with the VGT Revenue Projector.
Shapiro Gets His Trifecta. Here's What It Means for Skill Games
Most of our picks lost. Here’s what Pennsylvania’s new Democratic trifecta means for skill games, and where the fight moves next.
Illinois Puts “Cashless Wagering” on the Video Gaming Agenda: What We Know, What We Don’t, and What Operators Should Do Now
The Illinois Gaming Board put cashless wagering and video gaming self-exclusion rules on its Oct. 22 agenda. Here is what the record shows, plus the Chicago VGT Live Tracker.
Pennsylvania Skill Games, Day Two: What the State Police Agreements Actually Require
Day two of Pennsylvania skill-games enforcement: no seizures reported, six operators have signed State Police agreements. Here is what they require.
Pennsylvania Skill Games: Enforcement Day One, and What Operators Should Do Before October 19
Enforcement has begun in Pennsylvania. Here is what officials are saying, what operators should document today, and what to watch on October 19.
Pennsylvania Skill Games: Today Is the Cutoff. Here Is What Happens Tomorrow Morning, and What Everyone Is Saying.
Today is Pennsylvania's skill-games cutoff. Here is what State Police say happens October 14, what operators should document tonight, and where to read the story from every angle.
Pennsylvania Skill Games: The Cutoff Is Tomorrow. Here Is the Last-Day Checklist.
The Pennsylvania skill-game safe harbor ends Tuesday, October 13. Here is the five-step last-day checklist for operators and distributors, plus the Chicago VGT Live Tracker.
Six Days Out: Pennsylvania's Last Session Day Before the Skill-Games Deadline
Six days before Pennsylvania's October 13 skill-games cutoff, the last scheduled session day has arrived, lawmakers return October 19, and enforcers and vendors disagree on what compliance means.
Eleven Days Out: Three Tax Rates, One Deadline in Pennsylvania
Eleven days before Pennsylvania's October 13 skill-games cutoff, Diamond's 20%, Senate leadership's 35% and the governor's 52% show how far apart the sides are. Nothing has cleared committee.
Pennsylvania’s Real Plan B: A Six-Month Extension Sitting in Committee
With 13 days left before Pennsylvania’s October 13 skill-games deadline, two extension bills, HB 2793 and HB 2795, would authorize the games through April 13, 2027. Both are in House committee. What operators should plan for, plus Chicago’s current Illinois Gaming Board counts.
Chicago VGT, Verified: State Approvals Hold at 65, City Licenses Still Zero
Pulled directly from the Illinois Gaming Board’s own licensee data today: Chicago VGT approvals hold at 65, pending applications tick up to 286, and the city still hasn’t issued a single local license.
Daily Gaming Market Brief — September 23, 2026
Top story: Pennsylvania, 20 days out — still three bills, still no floor movement, and the "no plan in the budget" problem is now three months old.
Pennsylvania State Police Just Told Businesses to Remove Skill Games. The Industry Says It Won't.
Pennsylvania State Police say skill games must be physically removed by Oct. 13, not unplugged. Some operators plan to leave the cabinets in place, and that gap could cost bars their liquor licenses.
Chicago VGT: Where It Stands, and Where It Goes Next
Nine months after legalization, Chicago has 65 state-licensed locations, 284 more pending, zero city licenses and zero machines. Here’s where it stands and where it could go.