La Grange Park staff prepared a draft ordinance for discussion on permitting video gaming within Village boundaries for Tuesday’s work session.
But after public reaction almost exclusively condemning the idea, the Board of Trustees agreed to put an item on the Jan. 24 meeting consent agenda reaffirming support for the gaming ban passed in 2010.
Robert Bartholomai, a member of the Village Planning and Zoning Commission, said during public comment that it was dishonest to call the practice video gaming.
“We’re talking about video gambling,” he said, stressing that the revenue didn’t offset the cost to society. “It’s a bad example for children.”
The issue has been drawing attention since late 2022 when two restaurant owners approached the Village the revenue lost to other municipalities that allowed video gaming in their establishments.
The owners of Mattone, 9 E. 31st Street, and Bill’s Place, 1146 N. Maple Avenue, spoke at previous Board meetings and portrayed the issue as one of survival for their businesses.
Neither of the owners was present at Monday’s Board meeting.
The draft ordinance, and Ordinance 914, the action taken in 2010 to prohibit video gaming, are both available on the La Grange Park Village website.
The draft lists several requirements for an establishment to have video gaming. Prominent among them are possessing an appropriate certificate or license from the State of Illinois, a La Grange Park Class B, Class D, or Class G liquor license, not owe any outstanding debts or obligations to the Village, and be in business for 12 years.
The ordinance would have also limited video gaming terminals to six for each establishments, required that income from gaming not exceed 49 % of an establishment’s net income, not be within 100 feet of a school or place of worship, and not have any visible signage outside.
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None of those proposed restrictions seemed to soften the opposition in the Village Board Room Monday.
“My wife’s and my vote would be a ‘no,'” nine-year resident Drew Gaskell told the Board, stressing that there were gaming opportunities in nearby municipalities.
Twenty-five year resident Jim Donahue wanted no part of video gaming and said “I haven’t talked to one person in favor of it. I’m a no vote.”
Shayne Hansen, owner of Hop District, 23 E. 31st Street, said simply, “We don’t need it.”
The most impassioned speaker against video gaming was Jason Korinek, owner of Posto 31, 1017 E. 31st Street.
“I gave you dozens of reasons why video gaming is not a good idea,” he told the Board, noting that part of Mattone’s problem was that it had not changed its menu in years.
“Work harder, work smarter,” he said.
The one speaker in favor of video gaming was Marty McAlpirn, representing Prairie State Gaming.
“This is essentially a leg up for businesses,” he said of the video gaming proposal, pointing out the additional billions in revenues going to the state since video gaming was legalized in 2009. “In 10 years we have seen no increase in crime.”
Although several trustees have expressed support for it in past meetings, public opinion had its effect.
“We’ve received dozens of emails against video gaming,” Jamie Zaura, who had been one trustee skeptical of the idea, said.
Zaura also shot down the notion of a referendum or online poll to gauge public support, saying “You elected us, and a poll would be skewed.” Zaura added “not a lot of revenue would come to us.”
Mike Sheehan said that neighboring villages, like Western Springs and La Grange’s downtown districts were packed without video gaming.
“I will not support this,” he said. Jermaine Stewart agreed, saying “I don’t think video gaming is the right move.”
Trustees Karen Koncel and Juan Silva were “on the fence” as Silva put it, although they did join others in voting to put the ordinance prohibiting video gaming on the next consent agenda.
“There are businesses that financially could use a leg up,” she said. “But I’m not sure this is the way to go about it.”
But Koncel did acknowledge that there were other vices that the Village tolerated.
“Alcohol establishments are allowed,’ she said. “Nobody’s talking about shutting that down.”
Village President James Discipio brought the discussion to a halt by calling for the ordnance prohibiting video gaming to be on the next agenda.
“We’ve had no replies from anybody that wants it,” he said of the email communications. “I don’t want staff to spend any more time on this.”
The next La Grange Park Village Board meeting will be 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24 at the La Grange Park Village Board Room, 447 N. Catherine Ave.
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.