In a unanimous vote, the Carbondale, Illinois city council recently approved raising the limit for the number of gaming machines allowed in the city from 100 to 180. The new gambling law approved by the state legislature increased the limit from five to six machines per license. The Carbondale council debated whether to remove or raise the cap. Currently Carbondale has 22 existing licenses and if two pending applications are approved, the cap of 100 machines would be exceeded.
Councilwoman Jessica Bradshaw she had “heard from a lot of people, and like a lot of people I’m tired of seeing the games everywhere.” Councilman Lee Fronabarger said he only wanted to raise the cap to 150. But Councilman Jeff Doherty said he believed the wrong question was being asked. “I don’t think this solves the issue,” he said, noting if the council wants to reduce video gambling, a limit should be placed on the number of establishments that offer it instead of on the number of gambling terminals.
Councilman Tom Grant noted that the change applied to restaurants and bars, not truck stops. Councilman Adam recused himself from the discussion and vote. After the vote, Mayor Mike Henry said he doesn’t want to have to revisit the issue for a while.
