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Mount Prospect restaurateurs want village board to OK video gambling

Mount Prospect restaurateurs told the village board this week they would like to offer video gambling.

"We're currently operating in a business environment that is becoming increasingly challenging," said Spiro Kondos, owner of Draft Picks, 912 Busse Road, citing rising labor, food and insurance costs and taxes.

He pointed out that Mount Prospect's neighbor to the north, Prospect Heights, and its neighbor to the south, Elk Grove Village, have video gaming.

"By us not having video gaming, we are not on the same level playing field as our competitors," he said.

Kondos asked the board to bring up the issue at an upcoming meeting.

"Competition is fierce," said Jim Pappas of Paps Ultimate Bar & Grill. "And for us especially, because we're on the south end of town. … It's minutes away. I have to compete with someone that has something I can't provide."

Mayor Arlene Juracek said the village has considered the issue in the past, but since then the board has gotten several new members and received data from a resident survey.

"The board was constituted slightly differently at that point in time, and we know that this is still a concern for you," she said.

She said the board will discuss the issue at a future committee of the whole meeting, possibly in the spring.

"I think we'll be able to have a good discussion."

  Jim Pappas of Paps Ultimate Bar & Grill tells the Mount Prospect village board it's difficult to compete with restaurants minutes away in Elk Grove Village that offer video gambling. Steve Zalusky/szalusky@dailyherald.com
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