Yesterday, March 5, a public hearing was held in Will County, Illinois, during which residents of the county and its executive committee discussed issues related to the constantly growing interest in video gambling.
Reportedly, the county has never before opposed the Illinois regulations concerning video gambling, which were imposed back in 2009. But with the increasing number of the so-called café casinos around the state and Will County, in particular, its officials might decide to opt out of the law and to try to take due measures, in order to limit the number of unincorporated facilities that feature gambling machines.
During yesterday’s hearing, several residents of the county expressed their support of video gambling. Others stated that they disapproved of the café casinos in Will County. As for the committee members, most of them said that they would oppose any future expansion of video gambling across the county.
Generally speaking, the café casinos are local businesses that have acquired liquor licenses, in order to be able to install gambling machines within their premises. According to Tom Swoik, the Illinois Casino Gaming Association executive director, there are a total of 289 such cafés around the state, which annually generate the amount of $305 million in video gambling revenue.
Mr. Swoik pointed out that some towns have tried to limit the expansion of video gambling on their territory by making the obtaining of liquor licenses more difficult. What is more, facilities that feature gambling machines have been required to have most of their revenues from food and beverage services rather then from gambling.
During the committee meeting yesterday, certain speakers expressed their concerns about a possible prohibition of video gambling in the so-called unincorporated business area, that is the installation of gambling machines in stores, gas stations, etc.
Proponents of gambling pointed out that it creates numerous jobs in Will County. Not to mention that revenues generated from gambling machines boost local economy. Currently, there are 28 different facilities that feature such machines and they are expected to generate approximately $176,000 by the end of the year.
Chuck Maher (R-Naperville), one of the members of the Will County Board, pointed out that despite the fact video gambling contributes money to the county’s coffers, it is not enough to cover all the expenses it incurs, such as the treatment of people showing symptoms of gambling addiction.
Yesterday, Mary Tatroe, who is taking the position of an Assistant State’s Attorney, proposed that the county could impose certain regulations in order to restrict the expansion of video gambling. For instance, liquor licenses might be given only by the board and only after particular requirements are met. The issue is to be further discussed in April.
