EFFINGHAM —
Video gambling has come to Effingham and so far, play is just starting to heat up.
“We haven’t seen a lot yet,” said Jack Thompson, owner of the Gabby Goat in Effingham. “People aren’t really aware of them being here yet. We’ve had a couple of ladies coming in and playing at lunch.”
Thompson said although the machines have started bringing in patrons who are willing to roll the dice, it may be too early to tell what the long-term benefits of the machines may be.
“I think it’s too early to tell,” he said. “The state expects some revenue to go to the state, and in the end, they get their 5 percent for the state. It’s just too early to tell. It’s not a huge amount of money.”
Thompson said his establishment was prepared for the arrival of the machines before they even came.
“I think this was a way, when we were remodeling, to make some extra money,” he said. “We let people under 21 come in but we created a separate room. We wanted to have it separate so they couldn’t come in. No one under 21 is allowed in the room. It was available and it was a revenue generator. It was a win-win for us.”
Players are also enjoying the benefit of the machines. Todd Thoele of Effingham said he won big when video gambling was being tested in Strasburg and he hoped to try his luck in town.
“It’d be nice to do that again,” he said, talking about his luck in the past. “I’ll check it out for the time being.”
Staff at The Office in Effingham said they see the addition of the machines as another source of entertainment for patrons.
“It’s something fun to do,” said Brittany Dowell, a bartender at The Office.
Dowell said that she could be enticed to give the new machines a chance.
“I’ll probably try them soon,” she said. “I haven’t yet, so I figure that I pretty much have to try it.”
Jackson Adams can be reached at 217-347-7151, ext. 131, or jackson.adams@effinghamdailynews.com.
Local News
Related Photos
-
Todd Thoele, of Effingham, plays video poker in The Office Thursday night. Several bars in Effingham have added the machines. Genna Ord
Discussion
October 12, 2012
Game on for video gamblers
- Local News
-
-
5 killed in I-70 van crash
A van carrying church members returning from a California gathering careened off of a southern Illinois freeway and overturned several times Monday, killing five people and sending six others to hospitals, authorities said
-
Street closure
The city of Effingham has announced the closing of North Pembroke Street from Park Hills Drive to North Avenue will continue today, May 15, to allow the installation of a new sewer line.
-
Crowd turns out to dedicate VFW memorial
After months of design, construction and maintenance, the new memorial at Effingham VFW Post 1769 was dedicated during a ceremony Saturday. More than 100 people attended the dedication of the granite memorial with bricks commemorating past and presen
-
Drug Court gives grads second chance at life
Greg Evans has been arrested more times than he can remember, spent time in jail, and been a drug user for 25 years of his life. At the Effingham Area Drug Court Graduation Friday, he hoped to put all that behind him. "The only hope we have is here t
-
Illinois Senate approves medical marijuana bill
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn must decide if he will sign a measure allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes after the state Senate approved legislation on Friday.
- Effingham County Engineers set facts straight on fracking A pair of petroleum engineers originally from Altamont told an Effingham County Board committee Thursday that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, was much less dangerous than opponents make it appear. Fracking has been a point of contention in many st
- Yoder pleads not guilty to stabbing death A murder suspect pleaded not guilty Thursday to killing his roommate. Charles Douglas Yoder, who turned 52 Wednesday, entered his plea through Public Defender Lupita Thompson during a brief hearing Thursday in Effingham County Circuit Court. Yoder ha
-
Veteran returns to past war zone to celebrate triumph
When Marshall Taggart, 83, of Hazel Dell first went to South Korea in 1952, he didn’t think he was going to make it out alive.
- Teutopolis officials discuss village growth TEUTOPOLIS -- Teutopolis village officials engaged in a lengthy discussion Wednesday about the future of their community. "You can talk about economic development, but until you get young families moving here, the community is not going to grow," sai
-
Community turns to Franciscan decades after death
TEUTOPOLIS -- While Brother Simon Van Ackeren was only in Teutopolis a short time before his death from tuberculosis at age 20, local Catholic youth born decades after his death ask him for intercession. Lisa Siemer, the director of Christian educati
- More Local News Headlines
-
