North Aurora refuses to add video gambling
North Aurora trustees have refused to change the city’s laws to allow video gambling.
But they haven’t banned it either.
Last week the board refused to amend the village’s liquor, crime and amusement devices laws. The amendments would have added state authorized video gambling to the gambling permitted in liquor-licensed establishments, and added the machines to the list of amusement devices subject to the village’s amusement tax. The third amendment would have specifically exempted state-authorized horse race and video gambling from the village’s prohibition on gambling.
However, that leaves the village with conflicting laws on gambling. Its liquor code permits license holders to have state authorized gambling, but the criminal law prohibits gambling. It’s a conflict the Illinois Gaming Board discovered when the Little Red Schoolhouse bar/restaurant inquired about getting a state permit for video gambling. In other towns that didn’t ban video gambling and allow state authorized gambling in liquor establishments, the IGB considers them as allowing video gambling.
North Aurora has had off-track betting parlors on and off since the 1980s.
When the state approved video gambling in 2009, it included a provision that allowed towns to opt out. Many towns, including Batavia and Elburn, did so soon thereafter.
Village administrator Wes Kornowske said the board may vote in July on specifically banning video gambling.
Fourteen businesses in Kane County have applied for the state license. As of June 26, Little Red Schoolhouse was not on the list.