Cook County bans video poker in unincorporated areas

The Cook County Board stood up to 11th-hour lobbying by the video-gambling industry today and passed a ban on video poker in unincorporated areas.

In some ways, it was a redundant act, in that the county already bans video gambling, but the new ordinance, sponsored by Democratic Chicago Commissioner Bridget Gainer, specifically addressed language and machines cited in the new $31 billion state public-works bill passed earlier this year in Springfield.

"It's just not the way to fund governmental operations," said Riverside Republican Commissioner Tony Peraica. "We need to stop enabling the state legislature in their foolishness."

Republican Commissioner Liz Gorman, of Orland Park, noted that the public-works bill, which intended to fund about one-third of its total cost through video gambling, had the backing of Republicans in the General Assembly. Gov. Quinn, however, worked to add language allowing local governments to "opt out" if they so desired, and Cook's action today followed DuPage and Lake counties and dozens of municipalities in doing so.

At the moment, the ban affects only 53 places with liquor licenses in unincorporated Cook. Yet it adds political momentum to the public outcry against expanding video gambling.

Before the meeting, dozens of protesters, on the street outside the County Building and in the elevator lobby outside the county board chambers, chanted, "Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! Don't opt out!" Wearing T-shirts reading the same, they filed in and lined the back of the spectators' area. They included members of the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association and other pro-gambling groups that had already commented at last week's Finance Committee public hearing on the issue. In the end, they filed out quietly without any additional fuss after the ban passed.

Gainer dismissed the jobs debate, saying video poker wasn't being sought by "the little guy," but by the gambling industry.

Action on the ban first had to survive a vote to defer sought by Democratic Chicago Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno, who issued a common complaint of his that commissioners didn't know the full effect of the ordinance if passed. Democratic Crestwood Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy argued that "right now, we need revenue." Gorman called it "hypocritical" and said that it was about protecting the larger gambling industry from video competition, adding they should either ban all gambling or none at all.

Yet the vote to defer failed 9-5, with Republican Commissioner Timothy Schneider, of Bartlett, abstaining, as he said his family owns a tavern in unincorporated Cook. The final vote went through 10-4, with Gorman switching sides and saying she intends to add amendments to the measure down the road to make it clearer.

The commissioners voted unanimously 15-0, however, to approve Gainer's "Sunshine" lobbying-reform initiative. It will call on all lobbyists to register and report their activity online through the office of County Clerk David Orr, who helped form the ordinance.

The new law will also ban all county employees from lobbying on county affairs for a year after they leave their government positions. The lobbying Web site is due to be up and running by next summer.