Kane County video gambling vote set

The full Kane County Board discussed video gambling for the first time Tuesday night, but it isn't tipping its hand on whether to ban it.

It does know it wants to vote on the issue either way.

"I don't want to be accused of inaction and then all of sudden we have machines because we didn't opt out," said county board member John Hoscheit. "At some point we should vote on this. By waiting, we might as well just say that we're going to allow it to happen."

The waiting will end next month when the full county board takes a decisive vote Dec. 8.

That decision came after 45 minutes of debate about the value of taking a vote on banning or allowing video gambling. A three-person task force led by county board member Jesse Vazquez forwarded a lukewarm recommendation supporting video gambling in the county last month.

But that recommendation came as the state was still sorting out how it would regulate video gambling. State regulars don't expect to have a system in place until sometime next year.

That had Vazquez a bit more hesitant to urge the county board to support his task force's recommendation Tuesday.

"While I have expressed support for this law, I also recommend that we wait until the state has made some appropriate changes before we make any decision on this," Vazquez said. "I think it would be premature to act knowing that the state is going to make some changes to the law soon."

A few county board members weighed in anyway.

"The vote to allow video gambling doesn't put one machine in one bar," Bill Wyatt said. "But it does leave it up to the individual owner of that facility to determine whether that is going to help him or hurt him. What a concept that is!"

Board member Drew Frasz, who sat on the task force with Vazquez, continued to be the loudest voice against video gambling.

"I just don't see the benefit of it at all," Frasz said, pointing to potential enforcement issues. "I don't believe in reducing our social morals every time we have a budget problem."

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