Casinos can reopen Wednesday, Pritzker says
All bets are back on in Illinois starting next week.
Following an unprecedented three-month shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration on Thursday gave the state's 10 casinos and thousands of video gambling machine operators the green light to welcome back bettors next Wednesday.
That's a few days behind other crowd-dependent industries reopening Friday with the statewide introduction of Phase 4, but it's welcome news for casino executives eager to get the slots rolling again - and for the Democratic governor to jump-start gaming revenue for a COVID-19-riddled budget.
"I'm not an expert about how many times you need to wipe down a video gambling terminal to make it safe," Pritzker said during a Loop news conference. "Like other activities, we're trying to do these things in measures, with lots of health and safety guidance. The No. 1 driving factor is people should not get sick while doing those activities."
For the full report, visit chicago.suntimes.com.