In Champaign, Illinois, City Council voted 7-2 to allow establishments with video gambling machines to add one more in accordance with a new state law that raises the limit from five to six machines.
The law also raises the maximum wager from $2 to $4. Businesses pay the city $250 fee per machine, so allowing one more could generate an additional $13,000 in annual fees. The games were legalized in 2012.
Gamblers lost $16.8 million at video gambling machines in the past fiscal year, according to the Illinois Gaming Board. That generated $840,000 in revenue for the city, or about $2,990 from each of the 281 machines at 61 businesses. All but 12 of those establishments currently have five terminals.
At-large council member Tom Bruno voted for more machines. He said, “Any attempt at artificially limiting the number of terminals would be about as useful a way to address gambling as it would be to address alcoholism by limiting the number of aisles a liquor store could have, as if somehow that was going to solve the problem.
“There are people who allow themselves to become addicted to tobacco, alcohol and gambling, and other things, but there are other people who enjoy this industry and are not addicted and are making a conscious decision that this is how they want to buy their entertainment.”
Councilman Greg Stock opposed the increase. “I get that maybe it isn’t government’s place to tell people how to spend their money, but we’re also called upon regularly to help people with homeless issues and to help people with poverty issues. And we’re contributing to that by making this readily available to throw away your money. It’s not buying a lottery ticket and in three days they’ll do a drawing.”
He added, “Now you can lose twice as much money. Let’s see in three months how much money is lost, because the number will not get smaller.”
