Gov. Bruce Rauner halts payment of video gambling profits

Illinois municipalities that host video gambling in bars and restaurants won’t get their cut of profits from the machines until the state budget is in place, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office announced Monday.

The Republican governor and Democrats in the state Legislature have been at a budget impasse for weeks. And the state doesn’t have the authority to distribute video gambling profits to municipalities across Illinois without a balanced budget, Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said in a statement….Please click here to read the Associated Press story on Pantagraph.com. Phil Kadner writes a related story here in the Tribune/Daily Southtown.