Politics & Government

To Veterans' Dismay, Village Board Denies Video Gambling

New Lenox trustees voted to opt out of allowing video gaming machines in local establishments Monday with a 3-2 vote. One board member was absent and one abstained from voting.

Representatives from New Lenox's two veterans organizations packed the chamber Monday night and left disappointed as the Village Board voted to opt out of allowing video gambling machines in local establishments, a move veterans representatives said would hurt their business.

"Is it fair to tell them they can't gamble in their own club, but they can drive 6 or 7 miles to gamble in someone else's club?" said Jim Potter, a member of the American Legion Post 1977 and owner of the White Horse Inn, which currently offers video gambling. "Isn't this another restriction of their freedom? And haven't they given enough?"

The board voted 3-2 to opt out. Mayor Tim Baldermann and trustees Annette Bowden and Nancy Dye voted to opt out while trustees Dave Butterfield and Keith Madsen were the dissenting votes. Trustee Dave Smith abstained from voting, and trustee Ray Tuminello was absent though previously said he opposed the machines. 

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Members from the American Legion and the VFW acknowledged the village's past support of veterans but said this move would hurt their business, which is already struggling. Both organizations currently have video gaming without the payout. 

In 2009, the Illinois General Assembly legalized video gambling machines with plans to fund construction projects with the revenue. Businesses would get about 30 to 35 percent of the cut of the revenue and the village would get a 5 percent cut. 

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Only establishments with a "pour" liquor license are eligible (they must serve alcohol for on-site consumption), and there could be a maximum of five machines per establishment. 

"We would very much like to continue some of the things we do for the community," former VFW Post 9545 commander Ed Kadela said, noting things like scholarships or providing space for local organizations. "It would be nice to get a little more revenue."

Baldermann, Bowden and Dye that they didn't trust the state to run the program well. 

"My biggest concern is the instability of the state," Bowden said, saying she thought the added revenue could be "empty promises."

Smith said he abstained from voting because he didn't feel he had enough information to make a fair decision, most notably whether the village could opt out at a later date if it decided the program wasn't working well.

Butterfield and Madsen, the two dissenting votes, said they supported the gambling machines.

"I can't just not vote for it because of the state," Butterfield said. "It's the business' risk, and we can't control what the state does with its money already." 


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