The Aurora City Council will vote Tuesday on closing a loophole in its ordinance regulating video gaming machines.
The proposal to amend the ordinance pertaining to gambling would close the loophole and prohibit all “amusement” gaming machines that directly pay out money or vouchers redeemable for money or other forms of taxable income from being operated in non-regulated businesses.
This change would not apply to establishments properly licensed under the city’s current gambling and video gaming ordinance. It would only impact businesses with unregulated terminals licensed under “Amusements,” city officials said.
Alex Voigt, deputy chief of staff in the mayor’s office, said there are about 15 locations in Aurora – laundromats, gas stations and such – where the video machines are. People can play them to win vouchers, which can then be redeemed for cash.
That loophole circumvents the city’s regulation of gaming devices, because they are not licensed, and they are in places accessible by minors.
The amendment aldermen will vote on at the Nov. 14 meeting would update definitions to clearly delineate the difference between a gambling device, and an amusement device, Voigt said.
“We make sure the definition would not impact actual amusement devices,” she said.
That means places where people play amusement devices and win tokens that can be redeemed for prizes would not be affected.