Saturday, March 7, 2026 1:11 PM
Image aggregated from Chicago Reader.
It’s long been frowned upon to drink beer at a gas station. But a quirk in Illinois law has recently led such businesses across the state to secure liquor licenses that let customers drink on premises.
It’s not really about the booze. It’s about gambling. In 2009, Governor Pat Quinn signed the Video Gaming Act, legalizing digital slot machines or, as they’re known under the law, video gaming terminals. Since then, the state has seen the creation of what the Illinois Gaming Board calls the “largest regulated video gaming network of its kind in the world,” with more than 49,000 such devices installed across more than 9,000 locations.