McHenry County is now requiring a licensing fee for video gaming terminals in the unincorporated parts of the county.
The County Board passed new regulations this week in a 16-0 vote but did not discuss them beforehand.
The county previously allowed video gaming terminals in unincorporated areas but has now created a licensing process and fees for those terminals.
McHenry County will charge terminal operators $250 per year per machine, an amount set by state law, County Administrator Scott Hartman said.
Hartman said the new regulations would help with tracking and compliance. He added officials looked at areas where that could be addressed and determined the public interest would be served with the regulations.
But Hartman said the county was not aware of any issues stemming from the existence of video gaming terminals in unincorporated McHenry County.
According to county records, 190 video gaming terminals are currently operating in unincorporated McHenry County. With that number of terminals and the $250 fee, the county is expecting $47,500 in additional revenues.
In 2025, video gaming in unincorporated McHenry County generated just over $629,300 in tax revenues for the county, according to state records.
According to the ordinance the county passed, the license cycle is June 1 to May 31, and the ordinance went into effect after “its passage, approval, publication, and adoption.”
Applicants for video gaming licenses also must possess a liquor license, unless they are truck stops, according to the ordinance.
The regulations come as McHenry County faces a difficult budget year. The county is grappling with numerous financial stressors, including the end of federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars at the end of the year.