In Wheeling, Illinois, the village board voted 4-1 to approve Kelly’s Café three doors down from Tracy’s Bistro. Both are on Dundee Road and both are video gambling cafes. The board approved Tracy’s in November. Both are awaiting final approval from the Illinois Gaming Board.
The Wheeling planning commission opposed Kelly’s due to its proximity to Tracy’s. But village staff members said the location shouldn’t prevent Tracy’s from receiving special use approval.
Currently 15 Wheeling businesses, including restaurants, bars and video gambling cafes, have gambling machines, according to state records. Another four locations, not including Kelly’s, also are awaiting approval.
The recent vote led to a discussion about video gambling saturation in Wheeling. Trustee Joe Vito said, “I don’t think they’re the scourge on the community that people make them out to be. I understand they do prey on some people and that can be a problem, but people can make their own choices.” In response, Trustee David Vogel said, “I do think we’ve reached the saturation point. There’s only so many of these places we can have.”
In April, the village board removed a cap on video gambling cafes. Prior to that, three Stella’s Place operations held the only video gambling licenses.
In Wheeling, a video gambling cafe can have a maximum of 30 seats, and at least half its gross revenue must come from food and beverage sales. The primary business must be video gambling. On the other hand, restaurants with video gambling must have a minimum of 30 seats and serve lunch or dinner at least five days a week.
