The Illinois Gaming Board has taken decisive action, revoking the license of a video gambling operator in Cicero amidst serious allegations of connections to organized crime. This significant move underscores the state’s stringent efforts to maintain integrity within its burgeoning gambling industry, sending a clear message to those who might attempt to exploit the system. The decision specifically targets Firebird Enterprise Inc., a company linked to Jeffrey Bertucci, which operated machines at a local diner.
The revocation, finalized last week, immediately led to the disabling of video gambling machines at the Steak’n Egger diner, located on West Ogden Avenue. This swift enforcement followed a contentious internal review process, where the Board ultimately overruled an administrative law judge’s recommendation. The judge had suggested leniency for Bertucci, despite his admitted history of involvement in illegal gambling activities.
Despite never having a state gambling conviction, Bertucci’s past includes an arrest in 2000 for illegally operating coin-operated amusement devices. His subsequent testimony to federal investigators revealed a deeper pattern of illicit activities. He admitted to reinstalling these devices in 2006, continuing their illegal operation through at least 2009, and also confessed to filing false tax returns and providing untruthful testimony.
These admissions came to light during the high-profile trial of Michael Sarno, identified as the alleged leader of the Chicago Outfit’s Cicero street crew, who later received a 25-year racketeering sentence. Bertucci’s testimony directly implicated him in maintaining illegal gambling machines at multiple Steak’n Egger locations, both in Cicero and Chicago, solidifying the claims of his involvement with organized crime.
Curiously, during a 2018 interview with Gaming Board investigators concerning his 2000 arrest, Bertucci admitted to illicitly operating machines for five to six years in the early 2000s. He attributed this to being in his twenties and following the perceived norm among other business owners to earn extra income. He claimed his case was dismissed and that he had since ceased such activities.
A critical oversight occurred when gaming agents failed to question Bertucci about his Sarno trial testimony or any further illegal gaming involvement during the 2018 interview. Bertucci, for his part, did not volunteer this crucial information. Consequently, Firebird was granted its video gaming license in 2019, seemingly without full knowledge of Bertucci’s extensive past transgressions.
However, later in 2019, the Gaming Board was incidentally informed of Bertucci’s testimony in the Sarno trial through a letter from his legal counsel on an unrelated matter. Further revelations surfaced in 2023 when a Chicago Sun-Times report detailed Bertucci’s testimony regarding acquiring gambling terminals from an organization linked to former Chicago mob boss James Marcello and from Casey Szaflarski, a figure alleged by federal authorities to have run the mob’s video poker operations.
Gaming Board regulations strictly forbid false statements on license applications and empower the board to impose discipline for any cause that would have originally led to an applicant’s rejection. The board concluded that Bertucci’s documented partnership with known members of organized crime to engage in illegal gambling, along with his misleading testimony, fundamentally discredits the gaming industry and would have unequivocally led to the denial of his license had it been known earlier.
While Bertucci’s lawyer has not yet commented on the revocation, previous statements from his legal team claimed selective prosecution, citing other individuals with past infractions who have retained their licenses. The board, however, firmly denied any discrimination, asserting that Bertucci was afforded the same treatment as other participants implicated in the Michael Sarno racketeering trial.
