A City Council panel pushed through legislation Tuesday to ban sweepstakes gambling terminals that operate in a legal gray area in Chicago, a loss for Mayor Brandon Johnson after his administration asked for more time to review such a prohibition.
The Committee on License and Consumer Protection approved in a voice vote far South Side Ald. Anthony Beale’s ordinance to prohibit so-called “sweepstakes” gambling machines that currently dodge regulation by avoiding cash payouts. Alds. Nicholas Sposato, Angela Clay and David Moore voted no.
The proposal, which still requires full City Council approval, is the latest front in the ongoing debate among Chicago leaders over how to regulate or tax gambling amid historic fiscal shortfalls.
