New Lenox allows video gambling at bars, restaurants
By Erin Gallagher
Daily Southtown |
Almost four years after the New Lenox Village Board first banned video gambling, it approved an ordinance Monday lifting restrictions and allowing it at bars and restaurants that meet certain requirements.
Board members pointed to the two new members on the panel, as well as their experience with how the state regulates the new industry, as reasons for the reversal.
In June 2012, the board banned gambling within the village. At the time, Mayor Tim Baldermann said he favored the ban largely because he did not trust that the state would deliver on its promises, including payouts to both the businesses and municipalities.
The state had enacted the Video Gaming Act in July 2009, forcing municipalities to set local ordinances. At the time, village attorney Chris Spesia cautioned the board that if it authorized gambling, it may not be able to repeal it in the future.
In 2012, Trustees Nancy Dye, who has since left the board, and Annette Bowden, also voted to ban gambling. Trustee Ray Tuminello, who has accepted an appointment to the Will County Board, vocally supported the ban, but was absent for the vote.
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"I'm not sure that's the revenue I want," Tuminello said at the May 29, 2012, board meeting.
Opposition to the ban at that time came from Trustees David Butterfield and Keith Madsen, because they said it would have significant financial impact on the moneymaking abilities of groups like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.
Trustee David Smith abstained from the June 2012 vote. He said at the time that legislating morality is anti-American, and does not work because gambling is as close as an individual's cellphone. However, on Monday, Smith cast the sole vote against expanding gambling to qualifying bars and restaurants for "philosophical reasons." After the meeting, he stood by his earlier comments adding, "I don't think we should expand it to everything."
Trustee Annette Bowden was absent from Monday's vote. In an interview Tuesday, she said she would have voted in favor of lifting the ban because businesses are feeling the pressure of competition from outside New Lenox. All the neighboring communities allow gaming.
"I've not heard any negatives from local businesses," Bowden said.
"There has been a lot of interest from our business owners who want video gaming," Baldermann said recently.
New Lenox village administrator Kurt Carroll said the current board has seen how the Video Gaming Act has been managed locally and by the state. Trustees Emily Johnson and Doug Finnegan replaced Tuminello and Dye.
In March 2013, the board unanimously approved gambling at fraternal and veterans organizations, then later at truck stops and golf courses.
As of Monday, all qualifying bars or restaurants that sell alcohol and earn more than 60 percent of revenue from nongambling related activities can offer video gambling, according to the ordinance. Also, the village has set some stricter guidelines than the state's. For example, the state requires gaming areas to be separated by a rope, whereas the village requires separation by a wall, window or door.
Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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