Shorewood Considers Gambling Ban

Trustee Dan Gron told the village board that video gaming is an issue of conscience that should require more dialogue with the community at large than other common issues.

Video gaming is now legal in Illinois in licensed establishements where alcohol is served, as well as fraternal clubs, veterans organizations and truck stops. The law authorizing legal video gambling is expected to raise about 25 percent of the state's capital program funds.

At the board meeting Tuesday, trustees discussed prohibiting video gaming, including the potential loss of funds from the capital program.

"The statute is silent regarding whether capital projects may be held back because a community banned video gambling," Gron wrote in a memo to the board.

Board members questioned how to open the discussion to a community-wide audience. Gron asked if the issue should be put on a referrendum. 

"Once the money from this capital program is spent and gone, video gaming will be here forever," he said.

Mayor Rick Chapman said that although he does not support gambling, he does not believe the government should be prohibiting it either. He said that the people who support it would not speak up due to the nature of gambling. He didn't think the board should bother asking.

"If we are going to go out and ask people, we are going to get nothing but a negative comment," the mayor said.

"I genuinely would like to hear what people have to say," said Trustee Gary Fitzgerald.

According to Gron's memo, an estimated net income per machine is $45,000 per year. A 30 percent tax would be $13,500, of which one-sixth goes to the manicipality, which is $2,250 per year per machine.

As of January 31, there have been 76 communities and four counties which have opted out of video gaming.