East Dundee’s video gambling ban stands
East Dundee trustees will not redo the 2010 referendum in which residents voted to ban video gambling, the board said Monday.
The original vote to keep the practice out of town stands, and trustees said they will also not overturn the ban.
After years of wrangling over the issue and a long regulation process, the Illinois Gaming Board started approving video gambling licenses earlier this summer.
Village boards from different communities, including Hampshire, Huntley and Fox River Grove, have allowed video gambling in their towns. As such, the qualifying businesses in those villages can apply for gaming licenses. Carpentersville is scheduled to vote on the matter today.
The East Dundee village board voted to ban video gambling in 2010, and residents later voted for the ban 238-180 in a nonbinding referendum.
On Monday, Bartels and Trustee Lael Miller said there should be another referendum to see if residents’ opinions have changed.
The rest of the board didn’t see the value in doing so — trustees Rob Gorman, Allen Skillicorn, Jeff Lynam and Paul VanOstenbridge voted against a new referendum.
The village could have made between $100,000 and $225,000 a year off the 10 businesses that could legally house video gambling machines, interim Village Administrator Bob Skurla said.
But Lynam said the village’s reputation is not for sale.
“It’s not an insignificant amount of money, but it’s not enough money that would change my position on this,” Lynam said. “I really don’t see what we get that would offset the cost to the town.”
Just because the issue is dead for now doesn’t mean a future board won’t revisit it.
“Anything can come back,” Skillicorn said.