In Forest Park, establishments hosting sweepstakes machines – or any entertainment machines, for that matter – are supposed to purchase and display a village amusement sticker, but Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins said this rule is not always followed.įor years, the Illinois Gaming Board has declared that sweepstakes machines are illegal. There may be more, but since businesses do not require a license of any kind to install one, it’s difficult for a town to keep track of how many exist. In addition to the machines at the Citgo, there are three at the BP on Harlem, three at R Place on Harlem, two at the Beacon Pub, and three at Healy’s West Side.
The Review first reported on one in the Citgo gas station at 7323 Randolph in October 2018. But sweepstakes machines, not covered under this ban or regulated in any meaningful fashion, have been quietly popping up in and around Forest Park. Video gambling machines, legal in Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) approved establishments holding liquor licenses in Illinois, were officially banned in Forest Park by resident vote on Nov.
