Warrenville poised to reject video gambling

Warrenville is wasting little time on video gambling.

The city council's public safety and legislative committee needed only five minutes Monday night to recommend the full council adopt a local law prohibiting the machines.

If the ban is approved, Warrenville will join a growing list of suburban towns that have said "no" to gambling devices Illinois legalized to raise money for capital improvements.

Mayor Dave Brummel said everyone he talked to about the issue in Warrenville is opposed to video gambling.

"This really doesn't fit the character of our community," he said, "and it's not something that we would like to have."

In July, Gov. Pat Quinn approved a $31 billion capital improvement package that allowed video gambling. But towns have the ability to outlaw the machines in their communities.

Wheaton, for example, has enacted a ban that fines businesses or organizations possessing a device $1,000 to $5,000 a day.

In Warrenville, there are 22 establishments that would be eligible to host video gambling, officials said. If all those locations had the maximum of five machines, it could generate up to $220,000 a year for the city.

However, a poll of the eligible sites found only three, including Warrenville VFW Post 8081, would be interested in installing the devices.

Nine businesses indicated they have no interest in installing gambling machines and 10 others didn't respond to Warrenville's survey.

According to state law, counties and towns that allow video gambling will receive 5 percent of each machine's profit. The state will receive 25 percent, while establishment owners and the terminal operators evenly split the rest.

Police Chief Raymond Turano said he doesn't believe the estimated $30,000 in annual revenue Warrenville could receive from 15 machines would be worth the potential enforcement and inspection problems.

"While the state approved the legislation and the Illinois Gaming Board was instructed to write the rules governing the regulation, inspection and enforcement of these video gaming machines, those rules haven't been written," Turano said. "Nor have the employees been hired that would be responsible for oversight of this endeavor."

That would mean Warrenville could end up getting machines that it has no jurisdiction over. "At this point in time," Turano said, "I didn't know if that was the most judicious route to take."