Jerseyville City Council Amends Ordinances On Video Gaming Cafes, Terminals
New businesses seeking video gaming operations will need to prove majority of revenue will be generated by food and/or beverage sales, not gaming.
JERSEYVILLE – Jerseyville City Council members on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, unanimously approved amending two sections of the City Code regarding video gaming cafes and terminals.
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The current Jerseyville City Code clearly states video gaming cafes are “not permitted in the City.” It defines a “video gaming cafe” as an establishment whose primary focus is on video gaming, with food and alcohol sales being “secondary to the video gaming operation.”
Mayor Kevin Stork said at Tuesday’s meeting that an updated version of the ordinance will clarify that the majority of a business’s revenue must come from food and/or alcohol sales, not video gaming. The ordinance will also be “cleaned up” to make certain sections less “cumbersome” and easier for the city’s Planning & Zoning Board to enforce.
Stork said any new business seeking a video gaming license will have to prove the majority of their revenue does not come from video gaming under the newly amended ordinance. The item also contains a “grandfather clause” applying to existing businesses with video gaming, which would be “grandfathered in” and not subject to the conditions of the new ordinance.
Another section of the City Code states video gaming cafes are not eligible for Class J liquor licenses, which allow establishments to sell alcohol and operate video gaming terminals. While this will remain the case, the total number of video gaming terminals allowed in the city is increasing from 85 to 97 under another ordinance passed on Tuesday.
“We’re in talks with a couple businesses now that are looking to expand and add video gaming. This would allow those that we’re currently in talks with to add their games,” Stork said. He added that any future requests for video gaming would either require amending the ordinance again to raise the limit or for a current business with video gaming terminals to willingly give up their machines before a new business could add video gaming.
The mayor said the decision to set this limit on video gaming terminals was based in part on internal research which shows adding more terminals doesn’t necessarily translate to more revenue streams for the city.
“We just found in all of our research that what we currently have, it’s the same dollars that just move from game to game around town,” Stork said. “No matter where they are or how many we have, there’s no new revenue coming in.”
State Gaming Board Reports Reveal Top Earners In Jerseyville
Monthly Video Gaming Reports from the Illinois Gaming Board show which establishments around Jerseyville are earning the most from their video gaming operations. As of this writing, there are 15 establishments in Jerseyville with video gaming terminals, and a total of 85 terminals throughout the city.
For the month of September 2025, the city saw $1.2 million in gross video gaming terminal income, with $963,001 in funds paid out to players and $333,390 in Net Terminal Income (NTI). After NTI taxes and state taxes, the city’s share of video gaming income totaled $16,686 for the month.
The following businesses generated the following amounts of Net Terminal Income last month. Associated business names are based on current filings with the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office:
Medford Food Mart (Medland, Inc.) - $111,918.85
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The Diner Bar & Grill (H1M1 Corporation) - $30,454.83
The Reserve (GT Service Ventures LLC) - $25,353.74
DJ's Pub & Grill (DJ’s Pub & Grill, Inc.) - $24,426.71
Highway 67 Liquor (KOMAL Inc.) - $22,871.09
BigBoy’s Donuts (B&B 1995 Inc.) - $19,691.36
Uncle Al’s (Murphys 424, LLC) - $16,138.44
Jem Bar (R.E.J. Inc.) - $16,064.47
Sonny’s Wedge (D&T WEDGE, Inc.) - $15,642.68
Tri-County Bowl (Southtown Group, Inc.) - $11,391.33
American Legion Post #492 (American Legion Worthey Post 492) - $10,299.15
Thompson's 16 West (Thompsons 16 West, Inc.) - $9,599.59
Westlake Country Club (Westlake Country Club) - $8,728.71
Knights of Columbus Council #1692 (Columbus Home Association of Jerseyville, Illinois) - $7,510.41
Charcoal House Tavern (Pace Restaurant Group Inc.) - $3,299.19
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