State gambling controllers have appointed a firm to run the computer structure to monitor video poker at gambling machines in bars, restaurants and truck stops.

But it’s going to take months for the firm to do its work, meaning video poker gambling isn’t expected to launch in Illinois until closer to the end of the year.

Gov. Pat Quinn legally recognized video poker gambling in 2009 as a method to assist pay for billions of dollars of structure and roadwork.

Last week, the state confirmed a six-year contract with New York-based Scientific Games that could be worth more than $69 million, depending on how many people play the games. The agreement could be changed for another four years, if both parties agree.

The conformity means that thousands of video poker gambling machines could go live by the end of the year, and maybe as soon as the fall, said Lynn Carter, general counsel at the Illinois Gaming Board.

In adding up to monitoring all video poker gambling terminal in the state, the firm will be accountable for collecting cash from the machines and doling it out among the state, terminal owners and the businesses that house the devices.