ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — On Friday, bars and restaurants across Illinois will be able to seat people inside. Owners and staff have been preparing for Phase 4. But at what some owners are calling the 11th hour, the state announced a change in plans.

Gambling machines are being kept offline another few days. Owners are left scratching their heads as to why.

“Up until 2:30 this afternoon, we were still expecting to be open tomorrow,” explained Jay Gesner, the owner of Souse’s Lounge.

With poker machines and slots spaced six feet apart and Plexiglas between games, bars across the Stateline are set to see gamblers try their luck. But those games won’t be able to switch on until July 1st–thanks to the Illinois Gaming Board.

It was some news that owners didn’t want to hear. Gesner added that he was “somewhere between furious and disappointed.”

“Why did it take until less than 24 hours from when we were going to turn on the machines for them to come in and say this. There’s not a good-I don’t think there’s a good health reason for it,” he added.

Mulligan’s Irish Pub’s general manager Kelsey Fagan says customers are just as frustrated.

“One customer called and asked because he heard the news and he’s a little upset and doesn’t understand why we’re able to open inside but the gaming has been extended,” Fagan said. “I don’t know what the difference between tomorrow and Wednesday would be so I’m not really sure I understand the reasoning behind that”

Five extra days offline might not seem like a long time to wait, but bar owners say there’s a big difference between a Friday and a Wednesday.

“It’s the weekend. I mean that’s when bars do their best business obviously so it’s a huge kick,” Gesner said.

“I had actually a big group that was planning on coming in tomorrow (Friday) morning and they likely will not be coming in any longer. So I’m sure that you know everything having been planned for a Friday to be open and now it’ll be on a Wednesday I think we’ll take a pretty big hit on that,” Fagan added.

We reached out to the Illinois Senate Gaming Committee member, Sen. Dave Syverson to find out why gaming machines aren’t being turned on until the 1st, but we did not immediately hear back.

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