Mount Prospect grants three more video gambling licenses

For years, Mount Prospect resisted allowing gambling in the village. But now that video gambling is permitted, establishments are lining up to get their piece of the action.

On Tuesday, the village granted three video gaming liquor licenses: to Sam's Place, 15 W. Prospect Ave.; Draft Picks, 912 S. Busse Road; and Mrs. P & Me, 100 E. Prospect Ave.

Little comment was made on the first two licenses, but Trustee Richard Rogers, singled out Mrs. P & Me for praise. "Mrs. P & Me is kind of an institution in this town," he said. "Basically it's a railroad stop. You have always done a fine job on controlling the crowds, so I'm in favor of the license for your establishment."

Mayor Arlene Juracek said Mrs. P & Me was lucky to "have a little downstairs area, which makes it a good place to segregate it off in an appropriate way."

"We're fortunate to have that space," Chris Bozonelos, manager of Mrs. P & Me, said, "because it allows us to continue to operate as a family friendly environment."

Trustee Paul Hoefert, who had been an opponent of bringing video gambling to Mount Prospect, voted in support of the licenses. "Clearly it's here, and I would never vote against a petitioner who was meeting all the requirements of our ordinances," he said.

The board approved its first license in December - for Pap's Ultimate Bar and Grill, 1904 S. Elmhurst Road - about three months after changing its stance on video gambling.