Business breaks record
Updated: December 19, 2012
That's just this month. It's the first and only Illinois business to crack seven figures. It beat out 250 other locations.
That includes cChampaign and Savoy. Places like Road Ranger and Old Orchard lanes both have video gambling. But none of them even came close to that million dollar mark.
We decided to see what all the hype was about.
"I just think people are really comfortable here," gambler Joe Brenner said.
It's one of the reasons Joe Brenner chooses post 71 over anywhere else. Most people we talked to say it's convenience that keeps them gambling in Urbana and not Champaign.
"It's weird that they're located on campus. It's kind of a pain to go up to campus and find parking," Brenner said.
This month the American Legion had more than one million dollars played. A number Champaign and Savoy businesses came no where near.
Old Orchard Lanes had a little more than $480,000 and Road Ranger came in third with $240,000.
Bruce Brown is the Urbana American Legion manager.
"I've run the place for 28 years," Brown said.
But business hasn't always been booming. Just last year it was losing money and came close to cutting staff.
"It was really serious. The girls had knots in their stomach," Brown said.
It's put them back on track after giving money back to the state, gaming operations, and the city the American Legion has made $50,000 just in the last two months.
"It makes us be able to do what we can and what we want to," Brown said.
Last year they weren't able to send presents to the troops. This year, they sent $7,000 worth of christmas presents.
"It's great to be number one but I think it's our calling and we're supposed to do that," Brown said.
Some businesses across Illinois could give Urbana a run for their money. Starship in Decatur had more than $900,000 played this month.
One Road Ranger in Springfield had a little more than $700,000 played. Jan's Tap in Peoria had around $300,000.
