Written by Will Jones
Jeff Rehberger has spent over a decade pairing expansion with the technology, staffing, and operational systems required to manage a growing Illinois gaming network.
A company can add locations quickly. Building the infrastructure to manage them well is harder.
That distinction has shaped Jeff Rehberger's tenure, who became CEO of Lucky Lincoln Gaming in 2013. Since then, the Illinois terminal operator has expanded to more than 250 locations, approximately 1,500 video gaming terminals, and a workforce of over 75 employees.
The numbers show the size of the operation, but they also point to the central challenge behind its growth. Every new location adds equipment to monitor, relationships to maintain, regulatory obligations to follow, and service needs to coordinate. Rehberger’s strategy has therefore focused on increasing the company’s reach while strengthening the internal structure supporting it.
Growth That Requires More Than Sales
For a terminal operator, expansion involves more than signing new partners and installing machines. A larger network creates additional demands across staffing, communication, maintenance, reporting, and compliance.Jeff Rehberger has approached growth as much an operational project as a commercial one. As Lucky Lincoln Gaming added locations, the company also developed systems capable of handling a broader and more complex organization.
That calculated approach has helped place the company among the larger terminal operators in Illinois. Its current footprint reflects a sustained investment in physical scale, as well as in the people and processes required to manage it.
If you are evaluating a business by its location count alone, you may miss the less visible work that determines whether growth remains manageable. Rehberger’s focus has been on building both sides at once.
Using Technology to Manage Complexity
Lucky Lincoln Gaming has also introduced AI-supported tools and modern management processes into a field where artificial intelligence has not traditionally played a central role.
The value of those tools lies in their practical use. A network spanning more than 250 locations produces a steady flow of operational information. Technology can help teams organize that information, identify patterns, support internal decisions, and coordinate work across multiple sites.
For Rehberger, AI serves as part of the company’s operating structure rather than a replacement for human judgment. It provides the organization with additional ways to improve efficiency and maintain visibility as the network expands.
That use of technology may become increasingly important as the company pursues its next stage of growth.
Experience Shaped by Regulated Institutions
Rehberger’s professional background prepared him to think about both systems and oversight. Early in his career, he interned with the United States Department of Defense and the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Financial Stability, where he researched the Troubled Asset Relief Program.He later worked at CGI Federal, assisting with government proposals and supporting financial systems software used by the United States Agency for International Development.
Rehberger also served as president of Study Abroad Visas before leading Lucky Lincoln Gaming.
His education followed a similar path. Rehberger earned a bachelor’s degree in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University in 2011, followed by a master’s degree in Economic History from the London School of Economics in 2013.
That combination of economics, government work, consulting, and financial systems gives him a useful perspective on operating within an industry shaped by licensing and regulation.
Building Toward a Larger Footprint
Rehberger’s objective is to make Lucky Lincoln Gaming the largest terminal operator in Illinois. Meeting that goal will depend on adding locations while continuing to strengthen service, compliance, and relationships with licensed partners.The company’s progress since 2013 suggests that Rehberger views growth as a long-term operating discipline. The next phase will require the same balance that brought the business this far: greater scale supported by stronger systems.
