Naperville City Council to ban video poker

Naperville has decided not to roll the dice with video gambling.

City councilmen on Tuesday unanimously voted to draft an ordinance prohibiting the gambling machines that were supposed to help the state pay for public works projects.

Councilmen said allowing video gambling at bars, restaurants and fraternal organizations would negatively affect the quality of life in the city.

"This is an insult that we'll increase revenues by gaming to cover up our (state's) misspending," Councilman Grant Wehrli said.

State lawmakers plan to use video gambling revenue to help fund $31 billion in public works projects. One of those projects is a widening of Route 59 between Aurora Avenue and Ferry Road in Naperville.

City officials said there were no formal conditions on that funding indicating it would be taken away if the city did not approve video gambling.

The city will, however, lose out on the revenues the machines would have produced. Officials had estimated that each establishment that chose to install video gaming machines would generate about $11,250 for the city. Naperville has 125 eligible businesses, though it was unknown how many would choose to participate.

But councilmen said the additional revenue is not worth the problems the machines could cause.

Councilman Doug Krause was unhappy that so little of the revenue would stay in Naperville, and he also questioned how much extra money the city would have to spend to hire police officers to patrol establishments with the machines.

Councilman Robert Fieseler called the machines "eye crack." He said he has already excluded himself from being allowed to enter riverboat casinos and opposes video gambling because there is no system for self-exclusion with the video gambling machines.

The law includes funding for programs that help compulsive gamblers, further proof for Councilman Kenn Miller that the machines would have a negative impact on residents.

"If you put in the law you're admitting this will create gambling habits and it ought to control for those people who have this easy access," Miller said.

Naperville has been gathering public input for the past month. Of 226 respondents, 89 percent said they oppose video gambling.

Tuesday two residents gave their opinion about the machines, both of whom were opposed.

Jason Reed, pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church in Naperville, called video gambling an "inept solution" to the state's money woes and said there are moral issues as well.

"It preys upon the last and the least and for that reason it is a morally offensive opportunity to lose money," Reed said.

Naperville isn't the only governmental body that has outlawed video gambling. DuPage County has already done the same for its unincorporated areas. Rosemont and Elburn have banned video gambling as well.

Gambling: County's unincorporated areas won't partake either