Eight of Illinois' 10 casinos are operating under reduced daily hours and new capacity limits amid rising COVID-19 positivity rates in most state regions.

The new Illinois Gaming Board rules, the latest of which took effect this week at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, mean most casinos are open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, and capacity is limited to 25%. That's down from the 50% limit established in July, when gambling houses were allowed to reopen after being closed 3½ months at the onset of the pandemic.

Robert Rita, D-Blue Island, answers questions during debate of SB 516, a gambling bill involving a Chicago casino, during an extended session of the Illinois House of Representatives on May. CHICAGO — Casinos in Illinois will reopen Wednesday as part of Phase 4 of the coronavirus reopening plan. Illinois casino and gaming have been suspended since March 16, 2020, but the Gaming.

Indoor food and beverage service is suspended, but outdoor service, curbside and carryout are permitted under the state's rules. For instance, at Rivers, Hugo's Frog Bar & Chop House and the new BetRivers Sportsbook are serving food on outdoor heated patios.

The latest restrictions were triggered by positivity rates averaging at least 8% for three consecutive days in most regions of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Restore Illinois plan. The new rules, for now, apply to all casinos in the state except Par-A-Dice Casino in East Peoria and Jumer's Casino in Rock Island, which are in Region 2.

The same rules apply at many of the 36,000 video gambling machines in bars and restaurants statewide, which can remain open for betting from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., though food and beverage can't be ordered.

Mask wearing, social distancing and sanitation measures still apply at casinos and video gambling terminals as they did this summer, state regulators say.

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'I want to thank our industry licensees at casinos, video gaming locations and our terminal operators for their efforts to comply with COVID-19 mitigation efforts and to take reasonable and common-sense steps to keep themselves, their employees and their patrons safe during this very challenging time,' Illinois Gaming Board administrator Marcus Fruchter said during a special board meeting Thursday. 'Needless to say, failure to comply with these common sense restrictions could result in serious health consequences for everybody and further contribute to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases across the state that could put the health and continued operation of our industry in jeopardy.'

Failure to comply, Fruchter added, could subject licensees to discipline, up to and including revocation.

The rules could be relaxed, officials said, if a region's positivity rate averages 6.5% or less over a two-week period.

Also Thursday, Fruchter announced at least a six-month delay in the awarding of new casino licenses in Waukegan, the South suburbs, Rockford and downstate Williamson County.

The original deadline was Wednesday -- a year after applications were submitted -- but Fruchter attributed the delay to pandemic-related difficulties his staff members encountered during their routine review and investigation process. That included problems making site visits, conducting interviews and obtaining tax documents and other records from local, state and federal agencies, he said.

The vetting process continues, he said.

'Like all governmental agencies and private businesses, the board's work has been impacted by COVID-19,' Fruchter said. 'This is not an excuse or a crutch. It is simply a recognition of the realities that work and life are different in a global pandemic.'

SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill into law Tuesday that paves the way for development of a major casino in Chicago, something officials expect to provide significant revenues for the state's recently passed capital improvements plan known as Rebuild Illinois.

Lawmakers passed the bill during their special session in May. They initially approved a Chicago casino plan in the massive gaming expansion law enacted in 2019, but a subsequent study showed the taxes and fees included in that bill would have made such a casino financially infeasible.

The bill signed by Pritzker, Senate Bill 516, provides for a lower tax schedule that ranges from 22.5% to 77.4% of adjusted gross receipts from slot machines, and from 15% to 35% on table games. That revenue is split between the state and the city of Chicago, with the state getting the larger share of the cut.

In February, while the bill was being negotiated, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot estimated that a casino could produce around $1.2 billion in revenue, with the bulk of that going into the state's coffers. That money is earmarked for so-called vertical construction projects such as hospitals and university campus improvements.

The city's share of revenue is earmarked for police and firefighter pension obligations, and a small amount is set aside for Cook County for criminal justice enhancements.

'Working with the General Assembly and Mayor Lightfoot, we accomplished what eluded so many others, and now this momentous legislation tackles key priorities for the state of Illinois -- helping to ensure that Chicago can pay for first responders' pensions and alleviate the burden on property taxpayers, along with investing in universities and hospitals throughout the state,' Pritzker said in a statement. 'Thousands of Illinoisans will be working on these projects, earning a good living that will support their families as we do the important work of rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and investing in the future.'

Rep. Robert Rita, a Blue Island Democrat and one of the principal negotiators of the bill, called the bill signing 'a day many years and many long hours in the making,' adding that it would provide a boost to both the city's and state's economies.

Sen. Bill Cunningham, a Chicago Democrat and a lead sponsor of the bill, said it would provide 'a measure of financial stability to Chicago's public safety pensions' while at the same time providing relief to Chicago property tax payers.

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Other provisions of the bill authorize the Illinois Department of Agriculture to operate video gambling terminals at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield and the DuQuoin State Fair. It calls on the agency to sign three-year contracts with licensed terminal operators, with money from those contracts going to each fair's capital improvements and harness racing funds.

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The bill takes effect today.