Accel Entertainment is looking to bring to its distributed gaming business to Chicago following recent proposals to legalise video gaming terminals (VGTs) in the Illinois city.
Last month’s approval of Chicago’s 2026 Budget included the possible introduction of VGTs in licensed locations within City limits to generate additional local revenue.
The City Council Office of Financial Analysis (COFA) has estimated that the proposed framework for VGTs could generate $64 million in incremental annual tax revenue for the City of Chicago.
These estimates suggest a total annual Chicago VGT gross gaming revenue (GGR) of $1 billion incremental to the existing $3 billion generated in the rest of the state, once fully implemented, which could take up to 10 years based on previous studies.
VGT operators currently receive a statutory split of GGR equal to 32.04 per cent, which would translate into $320 million of expected incremental net terminal income for the licensed VGT operator community operating in Chicago.
Based on its experience in Illinois, Accel Entertainment expects a Chicago VGT market could begin generating revenue for the company as early as the third or fourth quarter of 2026, following completion of the legislative, regulatory and implementation processes.
“From a capital deployment perspective, Accel believes it is well positioned to leverage its strong balance sheet, existing fixed operating infrastructure, route management capabilities, and fixed asset base to capitalize on opportunities in a Chicago VGT market, subject to customer acquisition rates and final regulatory requirements,” said Accel.
“In anticipation of the finalization of Chicago’s VGT regulatory and operating framework, Accel will continue to assess its capital deployment strategy for Accel’s expected participation in a Chicago VGT market, including ramp timing, and marginal costs to service new accounts.”
The state of Illinois legalised video gambling in 2009 through the Video Gaming Act, although pursuant to Chapter 8-12 in the Municipal Code, the City of Chicago has not been allowed to offer video gambling within city limits.
Illinois’ revenue from VGTs rose 4 per cent to $263.9 million in November 2025, as total VGT wagering climbed 1 per cent to $2.86 billion.
During the third quarter of 2025, Accel generated revenue of $239.0 million from Illinois, equivalent to 72.5 per cent of its total revenue, with 15,641 gaming terminals in operation across 2,728 locations.
Shares in Accel Entertainment Inc (NYSE:ACEL) closed 1.65 per cent higher at $11.72 per share in New York Thursday.