Major US Airports Want to Join Las Vegas and Reno in Offering Slot Machines
Currently, the only airports in the US with slot machines are Reno-Tahoe International Airport and Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. A big American city, the third most populous in the country, wishes to take part in the festivities.
Last week, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson suggested imposing a 10.25% tax on Illinois online sportsbooks' gross earnings from wagers made inside the city limits in an effort to close a $1.15 billion budget deficit. In response, state legislators swiftly introduced legislation that would forbid Illinois local governments from taxing, regulating, or granting licenses for sports betting.
Jill Jaworski, the city's chief financial officer, shocked many on Tuesday by stating that the mayor's office was considering slot machines at O'Hare and Midway International Airports, despite the likelihood of the sports betting tax grab and Johnson's opposition to the liberalization of slot-like video gaming terminals in Chicago.
Chicago Airport Slot Machines
Gov. JB Pritzker (D) signed the Rebuild Illinois Act of 2019, which approved six new land-based casinos: five in the Chicago suburbs and one in the downtown region. As the city's gambling partner, Bally's is now building a $2 billion resort in River West.
Additionally, as long as the gaming terminals are situated "beyond the Transportation Security Administration security checkpoints," the 2019 bill permits slot machines at the two Chicago airports. Lori Lightfoot, a former mayor, chose not to use airport slots. Johnson could.
“We’ve had a conversation with Bally’s about moving that forward. They have expressed interest,” Jaworski told the City Council.
The news thrilled a number of alderman. According to financial estimates, the city may get up to $40 million annually from airport slots, according to Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th).
"This was a layup. The General Assembly gave us this authority. It’s a shame the previous administration and this administration haven’t acted … instead of nickel-and-diming people,” Villegas said.
Villegas responded, "Absolutely not," when asked if having slots among the first things that greet visitors to Chicago may detract from the atmosphere of the city.
“This would allow passengers to kill time while they’re waiting to fly out, delayed, or being rerouted,” Villegas continued. “This would allow adults to kill some time, and [the city] to capture some dollars from visitors coming through the city and give Bally’s the ability to promote itself.”
Slot machines in airports
If the city proceeds, Chicago airport slot machines should be available in at least a year. It remains to be seen if the O'Hare and Midway slots will acquire the same bad reputation as those at LAS.
The slot machines in the Las Vegas airport are sometimes referred to as the tightest in Southern Nevada, taking advantage of boredom, tired tourists, and newcomers who are eager to place a wager.
For over 40 years, Michael Gaughan, the proprietor of the South Point Hotel Casino, has owned the exclusive slot machine license at Harry Reid International. Over 1,000 slots are located throughout the LAS terminals thanks to his company, Michael Gaughan Slots.
The majority of airport slot revenue—roughly 86.5%—goes to Clark County to support the operation of the county-owned facility. Over the course of the 36 years that his slots have been in operation, Gaughan declared in 2022 that revenue from the airport slots had exceeded $1 billion.
