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Northern Illinois

Video Gaming Terminals for Bars in Waukegan, IL

The Illinois Gaming Board's September 2026 report lists 57 establishments in Waukegan with video gaming terminals, 333 terminals in all. If you run a bar or restaurant in Waukegan, here is what is on the public record and how Prairie State Gaming would work with you.

Talk to PSG about your Waukegan locationCall (630) 870-3400
About the town

About Waukegan

How Waukegan came to be

French traders knew this stretch of Lake Michigan by 1650, and Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette camped here in 1673. Traders ran a post called Little Fort from about 1725 to 1760. In 1835 Thomas Jenkins of Chicago put up a two-story frame building on the old post's site, and by 1841 Little Fort was the Lake County seat. In March 1849 residents voted for the name Waukegan, the Potawatomi word for the same thing, and the city incorporated in 1852.

The lake and the railroads built it. In the mid-1800s the harbor was among the busiest on the Great Lakes, with close to a thousand ships a year. Shipbuilding, flour milling, pork packing and dairying all took hold, and William Besley's Waukegan Brewing Company was shipping beer across the country by the late 1860s. Later came the sugar refinery, the wire mill that became part of U.S. Steel, and employers such as Abbott Laboratories and Baxter.

Waukegan today

Waukegan is still the Lake County seat, about 36 miles north of the Loop, and its downtown carries the county's government and legal offices. Its Near North historic district, with Victorian, Prairie School and Italianate houses, went on the National Register in 1978. The city's best-known names include Jack Benny and Ray Bradbury. Downtown's anchor is the Genesee Theatre on Genesee Street, which opened on Christmas Day 1927, closed in 1989 and reopened after a restoration in December 2004.

The bar and restaurant scene

Waukegan's bars split between downtown and the neighborhoods. Near the Genesee and the county buildings, restaurants and taverns work the lunch rush and the show crowd. Across the rest of the city, the trade is neighborhood taps, Mexican restaurants, sports bars and family places along the main streets, serving a mostly local crowd. The Gaming Board record on this page lists the Waukegan establishments licensed for video gaming.

Sources

  1. Encyclopedia of Chicago — Waukegan, IL (accessed November 6, 2026)
  2. City of Waukegan — The Genesee Theatre (accessed November 6, 2026)
Illinois Gaming Board record

Video gaming locations in Waukegan

Establishments in Waukegan on the Illinois Gaming Board's lists of video gaming licensees and applicants, with the status the Board shows.

Show all 63 Waukegan locations
  • EL Caporal Restaurant
    622 Washington ST
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · November 21, 2013
  • Elsie's Place Cafe
    1802 North Lewis Ave
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · August 21, 2014
  • Glen Flora Tap and Grill
    938 Glen Flora Avenue
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · October 24, 2013
  • Gojos
    2929 Belvidere Rd
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · July 24, 2014
  • Grand Tequila Bar & Grill
    1334 Grand Avenue
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · July 18, 2013
  • GREEN TOWN TAVERN
    110 S. Genesee St.
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · September 23, 2014
  • Hunan Buffet
    3900 Northpoint Blvd
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · November 20, 2014
  • Isabella's
    2021 Green Bay Rd.
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · April 23, 2015
  • J's Bally Muck
    1930 Grand Ave
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · July 18, 2013
  • J'S REGGAE BAR
    2201-03 W. Grand Ave.
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · October 24, 2013
  • Jesters
    1500 N. Lewis Ave.
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · November 15, 2012
  • La Canoa
    50 S. Green Bay Road
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · March 27, 2014
  • La Mexicanita Restaurant Inc.
    1310 N. LEWIS AVE.
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · October 24, 2024
  • La Opera
    133 N. Genesee Street
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · February 26, 2014
  • LA ZONA 84 BAR & GRILL INC
    1508 Washington Street
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · September 11, 2025
  • Lady Luck
    1423 Golf Rd
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · May 28, 2015
  • LAKE COUNTY SPORTS CENTER
    351 OAKWOOD AVE
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · September 14, 2023
  • Lakehurst Events & Entertainment
    300 LAKEHURST RD
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · November 6, 2015
  • LAS VEGAS POOL HALL INC
    2500 Grand Ave.
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · December 16, 2015
  • Little Fort
    2727 Washington Street
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · March 26, 2015
  • Live Star Banquet Hall Inc
    2755 Washington Street
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · January 27, 2021
  • LOS COMPADRES
    1614 Washington St.
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · May 28, 2015
  • LUCKY BERNIE'S
    3035 N. Oak Grove Ave.
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · December 19, 2019
  • Lucky Jack's
    410 S. Greenbay Road
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · April 23, 2015
  • Lucky Scottie Inc
    30 N. Genesee St.
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · October 24, 2024
  • MEGAFORCE REGGAE LOUNGE LLC
    3447 SUNSET AVE
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · June 16, 2022
  • North Ave Tap
    637 North Ave.
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · October 18, 2012
  • OOH WEE SEET TEA KAFE #29
    29 N. Genesee St
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · June 11, 2020
  • PC Louie's
    1009 NORTH AVE
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · November 21, 2013
  • POTESTA'S PIZZA
    434 SOUTH GREEN BAY ROAD
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · November 6, 2015
  • Quonset Pizza
    2602 Grand
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · August 25, 2015
  • Red Iguana
    454 N. Green Bay Road
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · October 24, 2013
  • Riviera Nayarit Seafood
    2670 Belvidere Rd
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · September 12, 2024
  • Rocky's Place Waukegan
    2243 N Lewis Avenue
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · September 9, 2021
  • Shelby's
    2765 W. Grand Avenue
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · December 19, 2013
  • SMITH SPAID POST 1293 VFW
    1550 GRAND AVE SUITE C
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · June 20, 2013
  • SUNSET HOUSE RESTAURANT
    1451 Golf Rd.
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · January 30, 2019
  • Sunset Lanes
    2015 N Lewis Ave
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · February 21, 2013
  • TAQUERIA GUADALAJARA
    1926 Grand Ave
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · March 7, 2018
  • Taqueria La Imperial Inc.
    635 MCAREE ROAD
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · June 16, 2022
  • Taqueria Y Rosticeria El Pechugon
    2829 Sunset Ave
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · February 9, 2018
  • Ten-Lew
    1808 10th Street
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · January 28, 2016
  • The Frolic Inc
    2902 Washington Street
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · February 21, 2013
  • The Pink Cactus
    1000 N Green Bay Rd
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · October 22, 2026
  • The Puerto Rican Society
    150 S. Sheridan Road
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · June 11, 2020
  • The Sip 21
    2120 N. Green Bay Rd.
    Application pending with the Illinois Gaming Board · December 5, 2025
  • The Tap Room
    36 N. Genesee St
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · October 7, 2016
  • Thorntons #321
    3233 Grand Avenue
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · August 2, 2018
  • Toluca's Restaurant and Cantina Inc.
    1415 Washington St,
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · October 22, 2026
  • TR's Front Row On Greenwood
    219 W. Greenwood Ave.
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · May 23, 2013
  • Up North Pub
    515 Greenwood Avenue
    Licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board · August 25, 2015
Same split, different service

How Prairie State Gaming helps in Waukegan

Illinois law fixes how terminal income is shared between the operator and the establishment, and no operator may give a location anything to sign. What you choose is the team.

Talk to PSG about your Waukegan locationRead PSG’s partner guide

Questions about the tax, licensing or what to expect? Read the owner FAQ.

Questions

Video gaming in Waukegan: the short answers

Does the revenue split change from one terminal operator to another?

No. Illinois law splits terminal income after tax evenly between the terminal operator and the establishment, whatever an agreement says, and no operator may give a location anything of value to sign (230 ILCS 40/25(c)). Operators differ in service, not in the split.

How long does a video gaming use agreement last?

Illinois Gaming Board rules cap a use agreement at eight years and do not allow it to renew automatically (11 Ill. Adm. Code 1800.320). If your location already has terminals, your agreement states its own end date.

How many video gaming terminals may one establishment have?

Illinois law allows a licensed establishment up to six video gaming terminals (230 ILCS 40/25(e)). The limit is set by the state, not by the terminal operator.

Have a question about video gaming at your place?

Ask the people who would be supporting you.

Talk to PSGCall (630) 870-3400

Gambling problem? For free confidential help, call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER. Must be 21+ to wager.