Vote On Video Gambling Tabled In Downers Grove

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — Downers Grove commissioners voted Tuesday to delay a vote on an ordinance permitting video gambling within the village.

Five commissioners voted in favor of delaying the vote and two voted in opposition, with many citing a desire for more data from the village's economic development commission. Commissioners Walus, Gilmartin, Hose, Kulovany and Mayor Robert Barnett voted to table the issue, whereas commissioners Glover and Sadowski-Fugitt voted against postponing the decision on video gambling.

Glover prefaced his comments by saying, "While I am in this industry, I have no plans to change my business model in an effort to implement video gaming. I can, however, relate to the businesses seeking it and provide a perspective that my colleagues may not."

“While we’ve received many emails from concerned residents, I appreciate their concerns...but the script and photos distributed to these [residents] include many falsehoods and inaccurate descriptions," Glover continued.

He shared photos that depicted businesses with video gambling machines visible from their windows, and their windows filled with signage.

Glover said he toured Westmont, which permits video gambling, and saw "very little signage."

He went on to share that he believes video gambling has helped, not hindered Westmont's economic development, a concern some residents and commissioners had raised. Mentioning Westmont's new Amazon Fresh store and other businesses, Glover said, "I sure wish some of those economic developments would have made their way to 75th and Main."

Commissioner Sadowski-Fugitt said she empathizes with some residents' issues with permitting video gambling, but that she is "concerned with some of the rhetoric that has been thrown around with regard to video gaming."

“I’m really uncomfortable with this class-based and almost...it’s an insulting argument. My job up here is not to rank perfectly legal...what we would call ‘vices’... and vote certain ones out of my village because of my personal preferences. I’m here to help residents and businesses in Downers Grove," Sadowski-Fugitt said.

Commissioner Chris Gilmartin, who ultimately made the motion to table the decision to reverse the village's ban on video gambling, said he initially expressed support of the matter as "an opportunity to help businesses who have been hit hard by the pandemic."

He said, "I’m not sure that we will see the revenue that is projected as presented nor that this will give the ability for restaurants to compete for both staff and customers."

According to Commissioner Greg Hose, the village council had mostly received emails and phone calls against video gambling until "the last 96 hours or so."

“I want to do more listening. I want to see if there’s more data out there that we can get," Hose said.

Alberto Torres, who spoke at Tuesday's meeting, said he is a Downers Grove resident and president of the village's Moose Lodge. “To claim that residents are all against gaming is absolutely false," Torres said.

Torres also spoke out against a desire expressed by some residents and council members to ban video gambling downtown if it is permitted in village in the future.

“We can get this done the right way… a way that we can all partake or not… and still maintain the social fabric of this community," he said.

Samantha Schroeder, a local realtor, opposed the idea of video gambling in the village, said, "There are plenty of Downers Grove restaurants that have made it through the pandemic because they are catering their menus and environments to today’s demographic. Today’s demographic is more of a foodie crowd than a gaming crowd. This demographic is turned off by gaming.”

Schroeder said, "The council should be voting on their constituents’ interests, not based on the desires of some local business owners."

Illinois enacted the Video Gaming Act in 2009, permitting as many as five video gaming terminals in "licensed retail establishments, truck stops, veteran and fraternal establishments." Since then, Downers Grove has opted not to allow video gaming within its premises.

Do you think Downers Grove should permit video gambling? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.

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