4 state fines for underage gambling - all in Mundelein
In more than three years that video gambling machines have operated in Illinois bars and restaurants, four locations have been fined by the state Gaming Board for letting underage people place bets.
All four are in Mundelein.
This month, the Gaming Board assessed large fines to a Mundelein bar and bowling alley after a sting by local police. That those underage violations were just the third and fourth statewide since the machines went live in 2012 raises questions about how tight age controls are on the fastest-growing section of the Illinois gambling industry.
"You would hope somebody is watching over these machines," Mundelein Trustee Ray Semple said. "All I can tell you is we are."
More than 5,100 locations statewide now have the gambling machines, which total more than 21,500 - more than all the slot machines in every Illinois casino combined.
The bars and restaurants that host them are responsible for keeping watch, ensuring no one under age 21 breaks Illinois law by gambling. But it's unclear whether local authorities throughout the state are putting in the same effort as Mundelein to make sure that's happening. In stings over the last year, Mundelein police caught four of the town's locations allowing minors to play.
Bartonville Police Chief Brian Fengel, a vice president with the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, says he hasn't heard of underage gambling being a problem. After all, big fines and the risk of losing a license give bar owners an incentive to keep underage players from gambling.
He says local police would investigate if there's a complaint against a bar, but stings like the one in Mundelein would be less common.
"There's no way to police every gambling machine in the state of Illinois," he said.
The Mundelein violations brought a stern rebuke from Gaming Board member Lee Gould, calling them a "black mark" on the industry.
And the industry says it takes the slip-ups seriously.
"The industry has zero tolerance for any violation of these procedures and fully supports the cohesive efforts of the Illinois Gaming Board and local municipalities to prohibit this unwanted behavior," Michael Gelatka, president of the Illinois Gaming Machine Operators Association, said in a statement. "We will continue to make responsible gaming our top priority as the industry continues to grow, create jobs for Illinois citizens and generate significant tax revenue for the state and local municipalities."
But an anti-gambling advocate argues local police are falling short on enforcement. Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems director Anita Bedell says it's highly unlikely the only underage people who have gambled at a bar are in Mundelein.
She points to underage drinking fines the Illinois Liquor Control Commission has handed out to bars that have machines as evidence the gambling industry needs more scrutiny.
"Local law enforcement is not doing it," Bedell said.
A spokesman for the Illinois Gaming Board says the regulating agency performs checks on the bars and machines. But he said the agency, which also regulates casinos, can't inspect every machine all the time.
"We appreciate all the help they can give us," spokesman Gene O'Shea said of local police.
Mundelein Police Chief Eric Guenther said his department decided to do stings to check on video gambling because a bar or restaurant has to have a liquor license to host the machines. Police already check on sales of alcohol, so it made sense to check this, too, he said.
"These are all things that can have some negative repercussions on our youth," Guenther said.
To do the sting, the department has someone who's underage walk in the establishment's front door and past the bar on the way to the machines, to try to ensure police can't be accused of sneaking someone in. Then, the minor has to play for more than five minutes without being stopped for the police to cite the bar. Guenther says it's a fair process because more than half of Mundelein's locations have passed the test.
Still, he says, the department will consider feedback from bar management that it's harder to catch an underage gambler than a drinker. The drinker has to interact with a bartender or other staff member, who can ask for identification. With the gambling machines, minors usually can just walk up to them, despite signs that say it's illegal.
Despite Mundelein's results, both Guenther and Semple hesitated to say what other towns should be doing.
"If you're a minor, don't come drinking and gambling in Mundelein," Semple said.