An Oak Lawn man was trying to do the right thing by returning Illinois unemployment money he didn’t ask for, but now he fears he’s dealing with a big mess.

Milton Gardner said that the state should be helping him more, as he deals with red tape and unclear answers.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office says more than $443 million in emergency rental assistance has been paid on behalf of 49,100 state households through the Illinois Rental Payment Program.

It provides up to $25,000 in emergency rental assistance to cover up to 12 months of past due rent and up to three months of future rent payments for tenants suffering a financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Payments are made directly to the landlord on behalf of the tenant, but only if the landlord doesn’t pursue eviction.

A September report from the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability shows that the Illinois video gambling industry is continuing to grow.

Gaming terminals statewide collected just $121 million in FY2013, compared to $1.9 billion in FY2021.