The Peoria, Illinois city council is stuck in limbo regarding whether or not to restrict or approve new café casinos. Two Annie’s café casinos have requested opening, but approval from the council has been deferred multiple times since the city Liquor Commission approved them last August.
Noted Councilman Casey Johnson, in whose district the cafés would be located, said, “The last time we actually talked about it, we voted on three motions, and they all failed. So I don’t know. Is it a way not to have to make a decision on them, by not having a policy? Maybe.” The council recently voted, at Johnson’s request, to table approval for alcohol sales at the proposed Annie’s sites. Johnson said he will not call for a vote until an official policy is in place. Peoria City Manager Patrick Urich said no policy discussions are planned.
Annie’s would have five video-gambling machines, the maximum the state allows, and offer beer and wine but no food, just free snacks. Under the law, video gambling establishments must be licensed to sell alcohol. Some councilors believe such establishments violate the spirit, if not the letter, of state laws that regulate video gambling in bars and restaurants, and use the no-food excuse as an unfair advantage. “That’s the loophole we fight,” Johnson said.
The council called for a moratorium on cafés last September. In October, the council rejected proposals that would have established minimum monthly food-and-drink sales, geographic limits on new cafes and/or an outright ban on café casinos. “I think that the hardest part about it is that I don’t think there’s a person around the horseshoe that wants what those are. I don’t think we can come to a consensus, as a group of 11 people, to have it or don’t have it,” Johnson said.
Currently, Emma’s is the only café casino operating in Peoria.
