Rosemont says 'No' to Quinn's video gambling

Rosemont, which lost its bid for a casino under allegations of mob influence, is taking a pass on Gov. Patrick Quinn's expansion of video gambling into bars and liquor-serving restaurants.

"I don't want to have anything to do with this," said Mayor Bradley Stephens Wednesday after the village board voted to ban the so-called "video poker" machines in town.

Rosemont appears to be the first suburb to move to ban the slotlike machines after Quinn signed legislation legalizing them across the state last month. Under the law, any bar, club or truck stop can have up to five machines, but it will likely take the Illinois Gaming Board more than a year to get regulations in place for the expected 45,000 new machines.

Stephens said it is ironic to find himself on the same side of an issue as anti-gambling advocates, but he believes having gambling machines in places residents go on a daily basis will get more people hooked.

"I think these dollars will come from the poor who work hard for their money," Stephens said. "This will grab someone's grocery money."

Rosemont was long slated to land the state's 10th casino. But legal challenges and allegations of mob ties eventually tanked the project. The Illinois Gaming Board revoked the license and it is now going to neighboring Des Plaines.

Rosemont officials have always refuted claims of mob influence in the suburb.

Quinn's video gambling expansion, one of the largest in state history, has been widely criticized by good government groups. Even Quinn himself pledged on the campaign trail to oppose an expansion of legalized gambling beyond the state's 10 casino licenses.

But pressure to come up with a funding source for a $31 billion public works package, billed as a job stimulus plan, was intense this year. Other funding options, including a 5 cent gas tax hike and increase in drivers license fees, went nowhere in the General Assembly.

As part of the expansion law, individual cities are allowed to ban the machines within their borders. In doing so they miss out on a 5 percent take on gambling losses, which could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions in some areas.

Stephens said he estimated Rosemont could land an extra $300,000 a year if the suburb allowed video gambling. That wasn't worth it to him.

"We think the revenue that would have been received wouldn't have superseded the costs," the mayor said, referring to additional policing and social service expenses.

The state hopes to garner $400 million in gambling losses once the machines are up and running, about half of what is brought in from the state's operating nine casinos.

Meanwhile, gambling regulators have been upset over the law, saying they haven't been given the proper staff or time to craft regulations to ensure organized crime stays out of the state-sanctioned business.