Lake County closer to ban on video gambling in unincorporated areas

After a lengthy discussion, the Lake County Board's finance committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a proposal to ban video gambling in unincorporated areas.

The 7-0 vote followed comments from civilian gambling opponents and proponents, as well as impassioned remarks from other members of the board who were in the audience for the debate.

The proposal now goes to the full board for final discussion at its Oct. 13 meeting. Thirteen votes are needed to enact a ban that would reverse - in unincorporated areas of the county - Gov. Pat Quinn's July decision to legalize video poker, blackjack and similar games to help fund a $31 billion construction package.

If the positions commissioners expressed Wednesday are a good indication, prospective gamblers will need to look elsewhere to play the controversial machines.

Eleven board members spoke in favor of a ban, while just one opposed the measure.

Some opposed gambling on moral grounds. Others said it's an unreliable way to fund government projects.

And some simply didn't like the way state lawmakers dumped the proposal in their laps.

"They didn't have the guts to make a decision, again," County Board Chairwoman Suzi Schmidt said. "This is bad governing."

People on both sides of the gambling debate spoke to the issue before the panel's vote.

Deerfield-area resident Elise Bouc waved a dollar bill at the committee members and said she'd give them the buck if they gave her $3 in return.

"Doesn't sound very good does it?" she said of her analogy. "It's a losing proposition for our community."

Several local bar owners took the opposing stance, saying gambling would help attract customers. If gambling is banned in unincorporated areas, they said, customers might flee to taverns in neighboring towns or Wisconsin, where video gambling is legal.

"You're going to see many bars go under," said Rita Pavlin, owner of Steve's Sports Bar in Antioch and vice president of the Lake County Tavern Owners Association. "We need this gambling in order to pick up our business and keep going."

That argument didn't sway committee member Bonnie Thomson Carter.

"Our job is to protect our residents from bad things. And this is totally a bad thing," the Ingleside Republican said. "I will not support any (gambling) expansion."

Carter also took a swipe at state lawmakers, saying she's ashamed of them for thinking "we as a county can be bought for $900,000."

That's roughly the potential annual revenue from video gambling machines for the county if all of the 85 businesses believed to be eligible for the machines install them.

Several suburban agencies have prohibited video gambling in recent weeks, including the boards in Buffalo Grove, Kildeer, Mettawa and DuPage County. More villages and counties are weighing such bans.