Mettawa set to ban video gambling

It's not as if tiny Mettawa would be raking in a big payoff, but village leaders are poised to take video gambling off the table before the games begin.

The village board this week directed its legal staff to draft an ordinance prohibiting video gambling, and it expects to approve the measure next month.

That action was based on the opinion of residents in the rural enclave with a total population of about 400. About 59 percent who responded in the door-to-door survey opposed the idea and 30 percent were in favor, according to Mayor Jess Ray.

"When you see that amount of ink on a particular topic, people are wondering, `What is our government doing?'" Ray said. "I think it's incumbent on government to take some action whether it's positive or negative."

Video gambling is part of a package of revenue generators for a $31 billion public works program signed into law last month by Gov. Pat Quinn.

Individual entities can opt out, and there has been a push by an anti-gambling group for communities to ban video poker and other forms of video gambling.

Earlier this month, the DuPage County Board banned video gambling. In the Chicago area, Rosemont and Country Club Hills also have enacted bans. Campton Hills is considering an advisory referendum, and Will County has scheduled hearings.

One factor in Mettawa is there are only a few potential sites where video gambling could be installed, including two hotels. The village also shares jurisdiction of the Lake Forest oasis, but Mettawa likely would not have a say what happens there.

Also, there is no accurate figure of how much revenue the gambling devices would generate for the village. Ray estimated it could be in the "tens of thousands" of dollars but emphasized there was no concrete number.

Ray said it also was the first time the new village administration used the door-to-door survey idea pitched during the election campaign this spring. The seven board members and the village clerk divided up the village, knocked on doors and asked residents their opinion on the issue. Ray said about three-quarters of residents responded.

Questions also remain about how the gambling money would be collected and the devices regulated by the state.

"The fact the state isn't ready to do anything is immaterial," Ray said of the village's pending decision.

But the lack of details is causing pause for other entities.

"It's not high on the radar screen until we get more information about how it's going to be handled by the state," Lake County Board Chairman Suzi Schmidt said last week.

No discussion of the issue has been scheduled by the county board, Schmidt said, but there will be ample time to address the matter.

"It's hard to make a decision if you don't have all the facts," she said.