Par-A-Dice in Peoria is laying off employees. Although gaming revenue has increased overall, Boyd Gaming, the casino’s operator, says that video gaming has taken business away from riverboat revenue.

David Strow, Vice President, corporate communications at Boyd Gaming, says the casino recently informed its employees of the reduction in workforce. Just under 40 employees have been affected by the layoffs.

Since video gaming first began almost 4 years ago, Par-A-Dice has seen about 22,000 gaming machines established across the state, Strow says.

According to Strow, between 2012 and 2015, Par-A-Dice’s annual gaming revenues have dropped by roughly $26 million. Annual visitation also decline by nearly a quarter of a million people.

In other State news, with the state in financial dire straits, a bipartisan group of lawmakers are pushing for a measure to create a foundation to generate private donations for the state’s fairgrounds.

Republican Representative Tim Butler says the state’s red ink continues to grow and having the private sector invest in the fairgrounds makes sense.

Butler says he didn’t have an exact figure but was certain there is millions of dollars in deferred maintenance costs taxpayers can’t afford. In a statement about House Bill 4990 Democratic Representative Jerry Costello says he looks forward to working with both sides to create the foundation while also working toward bipartisan solutions to strengthen the state’s fiscal situation.