Accel's 2019 Year in Review

2019 has been one of the biggest years yet for Accel Entertainment and the Accel family. We continued to grow in 2019, operating 10,346 machines at 2,290 locations in Illinois. We want to take a quick look back at everything we’ve accomplished this year and how much we still want to do in 2020.

Accel Entertainment’s Million Dollar Giveaway

This year marked the launch of our biggest giveaway to date – The Million Dollar Giveaway! Over the course of the year, we gave away over one-half a million dollars in prize money to over 100 lucky winners all over the state. With 978 locations participating and 42,000 participants entered, by the end of 2019, there were over 1.4 million entries made in the Million Dollar Giveaway. But the Million Dollar Giveaway isn’t quite over yet. In early 2020, Accel Entertainment will host the Million Dollar Giveaway Grand Prize Event for all of our Golden Ticket winners. One winner at the event will go home with a whopping $100,000!

So, what’s coming next for Accel Entertainment’s sweepstakes program? We aren’t giving away all our secrets yet. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears to the ground for what mind-blowing giveaway is coming from Accel in 2020.

Accel Entertainment Hits the Road: AE at Trade Shows in 2019

2019 was a very busy year for Accel Entertainment’s trade show team. We went all over the state (and the country), visiting different industry trade shows and forming meaningful industry relationships. Attending events like these helps make Accel one of the leading video gaming experts. Check out where we went this year on our trade show blog post, “AE Hits the Road.”

Accel Entertainment Bets on Main Street

On May 8, 2019, the Accel Entertainment team traveled to Springfield, Illinois, to help spread the message of the Bet on Main Street coalition. The coalition is comprised of small business owners with gaming in their establishments and other advocates of the industry. The group visited the capitol to educate lawmakers in Illinois about the state of the industry.

We're just getting started in our efforts to protect video gaming, a major economic driver in Illinois. If you want to learn more about Bet on Main Street, or get involved with the coalition, visit https://betmainstreet.com/ for more information.

Accel Celebrates Our 10^th Anniversary

Summer 2019 marked a monumental occasion for both Accel Entertainment and the Illinois video gaming industry — our 10-year anniversary! Can you believe that video gaming became legal in Illinois 10 years ago? It seems like just yesterday the Video Gaming Act was only a far-off dream for Illinois politicians. The Illinois Video Gaming Act, enacted on July 13, 2009, helps fund a $31 billion state multifaceted infrastructure improvement plan. Accel Entertainment was one of the first major terminal operators to conduct business in Illinois, and we are happy to have grown just as much as the industry has in 10 years.

Accel Entertainment Announces a Partnership with Grand River Jackpot

In August 2019, Accel Entertainment was excited to announce that we reached an agreement to welcome Grand River Jackpot into our growing Accel Entertainment family. Accel CEO Andy Rubenstein commented, “Grand River Jackpot is an attractive and fast-growing company that is a perfect complement to our own geographic footprint in southern Illinois, and we look forward to applying our proven operating model to Grand River’s more than 450 locations. The immediately accretive transaction also provides us with more than 1,800 VGTs [video gaming terminals], enhanced route efficiencies and greater scale as we look to continue to expand into additional markets across the United States.”

Accel Entertainment Becomes a Publicly Traded Company

On November 21, 2019, Accel Entertainment became a publicly listed company trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol: NYSE:ACEL. Accel is a leading distributed gaming operator in the United States on an adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization basis and a preferred partner for local business owners in the Illinois market. Andy Rubenstein, co-founder and president and CEO of Accel Entertainment, stated, “This transaction is an important milestone for Accel and our mission of being the partner of choice for local businesses who want to offer gaming to their customers.”

2019 was one of our biggest and best years at Accel Entertainment, and we look forward to growing and achieving more in 2020. None of this would be possible without the loyalty of our partner establishments and the dedication of our Accel family.