Gaming company Golden Entertainment has been approved by the Illinois Gaming Board to receive a VGT operator licence.

Golden Entertainment

This action by the Illinois Gaming Board allows a wholly-owned subsidiary of Golden Entertainment to operate VGTs in liquor licensed establishments, including bars, restaurants, truck stops and certain fraternal and veterans organisations. According to statistics provided by the Illinois Gaming Board, as of May 2017 there were over 26,000 VGTs operating in over 6,000 locations throughout the state.

Blake L Sartini, chairman and chief executive officer of Golden Entertainment, said: “We thank the Illinois Gaming Board for its consideration and approval of our licence application and look forward to participating in the state’s growing distributed gaming market.

“Given our significant experience and success in distributed gaming operations, including our position as the largest operator in Nevada and the second largest in Montana, we believe we can help current and new establishments that feature VGTs optimise their patrons’ entertainment experience. Illinois is an important and growing market for distributed gaming where we are considering both organic and acquisition opportunities to establish our presence.”