The Illinois Gaming Board has revoked the video gaming license for Firebird Enterprises Inc., the company behind Steak N Egger – Racine, saying the owner misled regulators, hid a history of illegal gambling, and had ties to organized crime.
The board pulled the license for Firebird Enterprises Inc., which is owned by Jeffrey Bertucci and runs the restaurant at 5647 W. Ogden Ave. A spokesperson for the gaming board said the video gambling machines were shut off on Friday, the day after the decision came down.
Illinois regulators allege organized crime ties to Steak N Egger owner
In a 2023 complaint filed by the Illinois Gaming Board, officials said Jeffrey J. Bertucci, the sole owner of the Cicero restaurant Steak N Egger – Racine, gave false information in his application for a video gaming license. The Board said Bertucci left out key details about a long history of illegal gambling operations at multiple locations in Illinois.
When asked on the application if he or any of his owners had ever “facilitated, enabled, or participated in the use of coin-operated amusement devices for gambling purposes,” Bertucci answered “No” and certified the accuracy of his response under penalty of law.
But later, the board uncovered records showing that Bertucci had testified in a 2009 federal criminal trial involving alleged mob figures. During that trial, he admitted to using illegal gambling machines as far back as the early 1990s.
According to the complaint, “Bertucci testified at trial that he operated illegal gambling machines at his Cicero business in 2004 and removed them after receiving a grand jury subpoena in July of that year.” He also “reinstalled the coin-operated devices… [and] kept the illegal gambling machines at his Cicero location until he received a subpoena about them in 2009.”
The board pointed out that this sworn testimony clashed with what Bertucci told agents in a 2018 interview, when he claimed his involvement was limited to one Stickney location and only lasted “five or six years” in the early 2000s.
In a follow-up interview on May 19, 2023, Bertucci came clean, admitting that he kept gambling machines in Chicago between 1990 and 1995 and in Cicero from 2004 to 2009. That testimony came years later during the trial of Michael Sarno, who was accused of leading the Cicero street crew of the Chicago Outfit. Sarno was eventually sentenced to 25 years in prison for racketeering. The board said, “He further explained that he removed the devices because they were not legal.”
Ultimately, the body found that Bertucci had “intentionally made the false statements and disclosures to IGB Gaming Agents in the 2018 Interview in connection with the video gaming license application,” and said Steak N Egger was “subject to discipline pursuant… for making false statements” and misrepresentation.
Illinois revokes license
Because of all this, the board decided to revoke the license, adopting parts of an Administrative Law Judge’s recommendation and rejecting others. It’s one of several recent enforcement moves the agency has made as it continues to crack down on operators who aren’t playing by the rules.
According to the board’s rules, it’s against the rules to lie on a license application. The board can also take disciplinary action for any reason that would’ve led them to deny the application in the first place.
As of now, Firebird Enterprises, Inc. no longer holds a valid license to operate video gaming machines in Illinois.
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