The tavern owners who came to a recent discussion at Oak Lawn’s village hall about video gaming said their patrons are tradesmen who don’t stop in as much as they used to for a few post-shift pops.
Video gaming would help fund a massive statewide capital bill that would put many tradespeople – and former tavern customers – back to work, they say. Everybody wins.
“If the state is going to legalize it, I can see no reason why the village shouldn’t let us legally add to our livelihoods,” said Roger Benson, owner of B.J. McMahon’s on 95th Street. “It would be silly for me not to take advantage of something that’s legal.”
Others who came to Monday’s forum passionately disapprove of video poker, calling it a “crack cocaine form of gambling.”
Jerry Prosapio, a Crestwood resident who said he overcame a crushing gambling habit, said “the thought that family restaurants that serve liquor can now add five video poker machines … is a very dangerous addition to their business.”
Pastor Philip Leo, of Calvin Christian Reform Church of Oak Lawn, said he didn’t want to make video gaming a polarizing political issue. He simply thinks communities that allow legalized video poker are breeding grounds for trouble, especially in a bad economy, so he’s against it.
“There’s a certain level of desperation, a level of hardship, that I haven’t seen in a very long time,” he said. “I don’t want that it in my community. I don’t want that in my Oak Lawn.”
At stake for Oak Lawn is an estimated $225,000 annually in tax revenue – sweet, reliable revenue – for a community that’s been hammered by the closing of car dealerships and sliding sales tax revenue.
Last year, the state Legislature legalized gambling terminals in taverns, restaurants and clubs, but allowed communities to prohibit the machines.
The state expected to reap some $287 million if 45,000 new video gaming machines were installed statewide, but has not yet implemented a plan to regulate them.
The prospects of possibly missing out on revenue – whether at the state and local levels or in local bars and restaurants – is what drew many tavern owners to Monday’s roundtable at village hall.
They also had other concerns, though they were hesitant to express at least one of them in public – if Oak Lawn prohibits legalized video gaming, the owners can kiss goodbye any profits from unregulated “For Amusement Only” machines in their establishments, which would be outlawed.
As for the legal machines, they’re each expected to bring in about $45,000 annually.
That revenue would be split thusly: 35 percent to the machine’s operator, 35 percent to the establishment’s owner, 25 percent to the state and 5 percent to the municipality.
The vast majority of revenue from video gaming across the state would be used for infrastructure improvements. A portion of the money would fall under the control of local governments.
Still unclear is whether Illinois would withhold funds to communities that ban video gaming.
A recent proposal that’s opposed by cities would slap a tax on communities and counties that bar video poker in an effort to make up revenue that would have been generated by the machines.
If they don’t repay the state, Illinois would deduct funds for other projects in their areas.
That measure still is under consideration in Springfield.
Of course, the $45,000 figure and any new revenue hinges on people actually plunking money into the machines, which would have a minimum bet of 5 cents and a maximum of $2 per play.
“That’s somebody’s hard-earned dollar going down the chutes,” Trustee Tom Phelan (6th) said. “This is Oak Lawn. This isn’t millionaires’ row or Las Vegas.”
Read the original article from SouthTown Star.
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