Tinley Park is poised to join the growing list of Illinois towns that have opted out of the state’s Video Gaming Act, making it illegal for bar and restaurant owners to have video poker machines in their businesses.
The Village Board Tuesday approved on first reading a revised ordinance that specifically takes the southwest suburban village out of the state’s video poker plans. A final vote will be taken at the next board meeting June 5.
Since 1961, Tinley Park has had an ordinance on the books that bans gambling devices in town, but recent questions about the state’s video poker system prompted officials to clarify the ban to avoid confusion and possible future court battles, officials said.
“We’ve got gaming interests coming into town talking to owners of locales that could host these things, and part of this is to protect people who don’t understand,” said Brian Maher, trustee and chair of the village’s Public Safety Committee. “They may tell them it’s OK to put these things in because the village hasn’t opted out. We don’t want to get into a court battle over whether that ordinance applies to this or not.”
Vendors who sell the machines have approached business owners in Tinley Park about the gaming terminals and have also sat in on meetings between village officials and business owners to discuss the gaming machines, officials said.
Terry Luby, owner of Luby’s Pub and Steakhouse in Tinley Park, said the village is hurting its businesses by banning video poker.
“The restaurants are going out of business in Tinley Park if they want to believe it or not, and here’s an avenue for us where we could possibly get some more revenue,” he said. “I don’t think it’s been thought through.”
Mayor Ed Zabrocki said Tinley Park is a family-oriented community where gambling has never been embraced.
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“I think the community as a whole is much better off without gambling in it,” he said. “There is a potential for bringing elements into the community that you don’t want.”
More than 250 communities in the state either already have ordinances banning the gaming terminals or have opted out of the state’s Video Gaming Act, according to the Illinois Gaming Board’s website. The program was approved by lawmakers in 2009 to raise funds for infrastructure projects throughout the state. The state’s gaming board began accepting applications for video poker licenses from businesses last month, said Gaming Board spokesman Gene O’Shea.