Casinos in Illinois Now Allowed to Hire Convicted Felons

By Jerry Smith Staff Writer Updated: 08/26/2023

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Jerry’s greatest advantage is his extensive experience on the casino floor. His time as a casino manager taught him everything about what makes a player tick. Besides being a skilled poker player, he has deep knowledge of all live table games and gambling regulations in the US.

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Casinos in Illinois Now Allowed

Casinos in the state of Illinois now have more options when it comes to taking on new employees for non-gaming positions at their establishments.

This comes after the state governor, JB Pritzker, signed legislation that now makes it legal for commercial casinos to hire convicted felons. The bill, SB1462, was signed late last week by the state governor, and as a result, the Illinois Gambling Act has now been amended.

The signing of the bill means that those who have felony convictions can now apply for positions at state-licensed casinos in Illinois.

However, the positions must be non-gaming ones for their applications to be considered. The bill itself was put together by Senator Robert Peters and State Rep. Kam Buckner, who worked on the bill with officials from the hospitality and gaming union, Unite Here Local 1.

A Range of Jobs for Convicted Felons to Apply For

As a result of the amendment to the law, convicted felons will now be able to apply for a wide range of positions at commercial casinos in the state. Under the previous laws, this was prohibited for all casino jobs, but the prohibition now only extends to gaming positions.

After signing the bill, Pritzker said:

Here in the Land of Lincoln, we believe that people deserve second chances — and that includes the formerly incarcerated and those who have been convicted of a felony.

He added that the state was giving opportunities for people from Illinois who have made mistakes to secure employment and thus build better lives for themselves, their families, and their communities.

There are other states that have made similar moves to allow convicted felons to apply for commercial casino jobs. However, in some cases, those with convictions for violent crimes have been excluded.

This is not the case in Illinois, and the Illinois Gaming Board has been urged to consider a range of factors when deciding whether applicants qualify for a license to work at a commercial casino.

This includes ensuring that the person is of good character and no longer associates with people who have questionable reputations.

The gaming board also has to look at factors such as how long ago the conviction was, the number of convictions that the person has, what type of convictions they have, and the circumstances surrounding the incident. In addition, the age of the person at the time of conviction has to be considered.

Good News for Casinos in Illinois

The move comes as good news for casinos, many of which have been struggling to find employees since the global pandemic. Finding qualified, experienced, and suitable workers has become a big issue for many casinos in states across the country, leaving some very short-staffed and unable to offer access to all facilities.

With the new amendment to the law, casinos will have a bigger pool of applicants to choose from for positions that do not involve the gaming side of operations. This could make it easier for them to operate with a full quota of employees.