Free drinks at suburban casinos? Critics want state to say 'no'
Casinos in Las Vegas are known for their endless free drinks to poker players and slot pullers.
But in suburban casinos, that's against the law. Gamblers have to fork over top dollar for beer and liquor. Now there may be a crack forming as one Illinois casino pushes to give out free drink to draw more gamblers.
An Illinois Senate proposal would allow free drinks, but a subsequent amendment restricts that to casinos that took in $50 million or less in 2008 - a description that was intended to limit its application to only a Rock Island casino, but could arguably apply to a planned Des Plaines casino, since it took in zero dollars in 2008.
That suburban loophole would likely close before any measure passed, since most of the casinos themselves want the provision to apply only to Rock Island.
But at least one anti-addiction critic says Illinois legislators shouldn't even allow that tiny foot in the door, given the incremental nature of the gambling industry in Illinois.
"I certainly do" think serving free alcohol could spread to other casinos, said Anita Bedell, executive director of Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems. "That's how it's usually been."
Bedell was referring to the baby-step process by which riverboats went from only being able to conduct gambling while actually sailing on navigable waterways, to being able to conduct games while docked, to allowing boats in man-made ponds nowhere near rivers or lakes.
While free alcohol for gamblers is common in Las Vegas, Illinois has resisted the practice, much as it has resisted free alcohol giveaways in bars because of worries it encourages overindulgence.
Bedell said free drinks pose more of a danger here than in Vegas because there, a high number of patrons have only to stumble back to a hotel room to get to sleep. Here, more patrons are drivers.
The Rock Island Casino moved because it "wanted to be at the convergence of major highways. So now they want to give people free alcohol and send them on their way -(on) highways," Bedell said.
Tom Swoik of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association said the "slippery slope" argument doesn't apply in this instance. In fact, his organization pushed for the amendment that excluded the other casinos because they don't think it ends up earning them any additional revenue.
"Iowa is the only bordering state that has free drinks, so that is a competitive issue for (the Rock Island casino)," Swoik noted. "I don't see that (expansion to other casinos) happening for a long time, if ever."
On Thursday, the possibility that the measure could be passed even for Rock Island appeared to dim when the proposal was relegated to subcommittee. But sponsor Dave Syverson, a Rockford Republican, said he thinks it could make its way to the floor yet as part of a larger overall gambling measure being contemplated.
He said the measure wouldn't result in Vegas-style sloshy gambling, but would only allow the casino to comp its most favored players.
"It's really kind of ridiculous that this rule was implemented in the first place," Syverson said.
Bill Renk, vice president of sales and marketing of Jumer's Casino Rock Island confirmed that his company doesn't plan to start wholesale free booze giveaways. Instead it would be for select players the company wishes to reward.
"We're not talking about free drinks for everybody," Renk said
And, he stressed, the casino already has a stringent alcohol-montioring program for its paid sales; it would simply continue that for any free alcohol it served.
"You watch how many (drinks) are being delivered," Renk said. "You cut people off."
A spokesman for the Illinois Gaming Board said the agency had no position on the pending legislation. Des Plaines and Elgin representatives did not return calls for comment. Neither did representatives of the Elgin casino or planned Des Plaines casino.
• Daily Herald news service reports and Daily Herald staff writers John Patterson, Joseph Ryan and Dan Carden contributed to this report.