Town by town, critics fight video poker in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - Critics of legalized video poker hope they're on the verge of turning a handful of victories into an avalanche of opposition that will keep gambling from expanding to every corner of Illinois.

An anti-gambling group is urging communities to ban video poker and other forms of video gambling that state officials legalized. At least four local governments have already taken that step - unincorporated DuPage County, the Chicago suburbs of Rosemont and Country Club Hills, and the Springfield suburb of Rochester.

The opponents face long odds, however.

They're asking communities to give up new revenue at a time when every government is short on money. They would also be taking money away from bars and restaurants, which could spur those businesses to get organized in support of video poker.

It may be no coincidence that, so far, the governments rejecting video poker aren't sacrificing much.

The DuPage County ban applies only to unincorporated areas, not the county's cities and towns, so it affects only about three dozen businesses. Rosemont is a tiny city dominated by hotels and upscale restaurants, not neighborhood bars. Rochester has no bars at all.

Illinois legislators approved video gambling as part of a funding package to pay for a $31 billion public works program. Gov. Pat Quinn signed it into law last month.

The legislation allows up to five video gambling machines offering games like poker or blackjack at bars and restaurants, fraternal and veterans groups and truck stops. The maximum bet is $2 and the most a gambler could win on any one hand is $500.

It could be a year before the state has all the rules and procedures in place so that legalized video gambling can begin.

Supporters argue that these machines are already common in bars, where they are played illegally. Legalizing them, they say, allows for better oversight and gives the state a source of much-needed revenue - perhaps more than $300 million a year.

They also say fears of this particular kind of gambling are overblown in a state that has casinos, horse racing and multiple lottery games.

"The genie is out of the bottle in Illinois. If you want to gamble, you can gamble," said Tom Fiedler, president of the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association.

Critics say it brings gambling to every corner pub. Instead of making a special trip to a casino to plunk coins into slot machines, people will be able to gamble away their money night after night in their own neighborhood.

The group Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems says it is contacting county and city officials across the state and urging them to take advantage of their power to ban video gambling locally.

Will County has scheduled hearings. A member of the Peoria County Board is pushing for action. A Cook County Board member has raised the issue.

Carol Trumpe, a Republican member of the Peoria County Board, objects to video gambling on moral grounds but also practical ones.

She sees it as sucking money out of the community economy. Money that people might otherwise spend on groceries or gasoline would go instead to the owners of the gambling machines and to the government.

"Those dollars are lost to us. They won't be spent buying goods or paying for services," Trumpe said.

Quinn, who reluctantly accepted video poker as part of the public works program, isn't complaining about communities rejecting the idea locally. The Democrat says he insisted the law give local governments the option of saying no.

Video gambling accounts for about one-quarter of the annual revenue needed to support the construction program. Quinn said having some communities opt out won't endanger the program.

But that piecemeal approach might create headaches for some businesses.

Bars and restaurants in areas where video gambling is banned will be up against competitors who can offer it. Because people don't necessarily pay close attention to city boundaries, customers may be confused about why one bar has poker and blackjack but another nearby tavern doesn't.

Kathy Bukowy, manager of JT's Porch Saloon and Eatery in DuPage County, objects to her business being barred from offering video poker at a time when it's hard to attract customers.

"There's too many places closing up as it is. People are going to go where the fun is," she said. "If we can't get it, nobody should."