The city council in Champaign, Illinois recently passed an ordinance placing a moratorium on installing or operating video gambling terminals in newly licensed liquor establishments, through June 7. Currently in Champaign, 53 establishments offer 244 video gambling terminals, according to Illinois Gaming Board figures.
Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen said, “It’s not a morality issue. We need to make a decision on how gambling will impact the city as a whole.” Specifically, Feinen explained, the city council needs time to determine if it will enact a gambling ordinance, since gambling is not separate from alcohol regulation in the city, which is in the process of revising the liquor code. A study session on video gambling is set for April.
Most council members who supported the ordinance said they have heard from constituents who have complained about the extent of video gambling in the city. Councilwoman Clarissa Nickerson Fourman said “The amount of gambling doesn’t bother me. It’s the immediate access that people have to go in and feed this thing. It’s scary.”
If an establishment violates the temporary moratorium, its liquor license will be suspended immediately and subject to revocation, according to a city staff report to the council.
