The O'Hare and Midway airports in Chicago, US, could be about to get slot machines.
The introduction is being considered by Governor Pat Quinn. No US city outside Nevada currently offers airport gambling, but one industry expert reckons that others will follow if Chicago takes the plunge.
"Given the arms-race nature of gambling expansion these days, airports are one of the final frontiers," said Joe Weinert, senior vice president for New Jersey-based Spectrum Gaming Group, a research firm that conducts studies for casinos and state governments.
"If slots do come to O’Hare and Midway, in pretty short order you’ll see it in other airports as well."
Under the legislation lawmakers passed in May and under review by Quinn, Chicago would be allowed 4,000 gaming positions to divide among a downtown casino and the airports. At O’Hare and Midway, those positions would be slot machines beyond security checkpoints.
