Start of hearings show Kane County may favor video gambling

If the current trend of public opinion continues, Kane County may be among the first communities to openly welcome video gambling.

The county's task force examining the gambling expansion hosted its first public hearing to measure community sentiment on Tuesday, and every person who showed up to speak was in favor of video gambling. None of the roughly 30 in attendance raised a hand when asked whether any opposed.

Piling on that, task force Chairman Jesse Vazquez read four letters he received in favor of video gambling, including one from the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.

Most at the hearing were business owners or union workers who said they would benefit from the additional revenue or new jobs.

Kurt Frieders of Parkside Lanes in Aurora used an argument similar to those heard during smoking ban discussions. Frieders said his business is within a few miles of four separate counties. He fears neighboring businesses in other counties will take away customers if they have video gambling and he does not.

"If you have a bar, and you have another bar, and they have TVs, and you don't, then everyone is going to go to the bar with TVs," Frieders said. "That's why every bar has TVs. A ban is going to take away our natural right to compete."

Indeed, business owners said they've already lost too much from the recession and smoking ban to also have revenue from video gambling snatched from them.

Miguel Terrazas of Rudy's Place in Aurora said he's already shrunk his business from a staff of 15 to eight part-timers.

"Please, I'm begging for that extra income to our place," Terrazas said. "That will help enormously. We have the casinos. We have all those big places. We are just one, tiny dot in a huge map for them. I don't think they're going to feel it, but because we are so small, we are going to feel that extra income coming to our checking accounts."

Douglas DuMoulin, of the Old Starks Tavern in Hampshire, took it a step further and suggested allowing video gambling would actually help clean up crime.

"Legalizing the video poker games is a horrible idea, but the only thing more horrible is not to legalize it," DuMoulin said. "There are already machines currently paying out on a daily basis. Look what happens if we don't legalize it. The mob continues to get all the money."

Vazquez said his main concern about video gambling was the impact on the riverboat casinos. However, he believes the riverboats will be just fine. He also said if a community like Aurora allows video gambling, but Kane County bans them, businesses in unincorporated areas are at a disadvantage.

There will be another public hearing on the issue at 7 p.m., Wednesday at the Kane County Government Center.