Nearly two years ago, the Illinois Gaming Board denied a coveted and potentially lucrative video gambling license sought by James J. Banks, a clout-heavy Chicago lawyer and banker who’d served on the Illinois Tollway board under five governors, saying his “associations” threatened to impugn the gaming industry.
But now the gaming board has reversed course, voting 3-0 in December to allow Banks’ Gaming Productions, LLC, to secure what’s called a terminal operator license. That means he can now distribute and draw income from video poker machines and similar devices in businesses such as bars and restaurants in Illinois communities where such gambling is legal. Video gambling machines, though allowed in many suburbs and downstate communities, are illegal in Chicago.
