Video Gambling? Mayor, Chamber Seek Input

Voters will decide in the April election whether to continue prohibiting video gambling, but in a straw poll conducted by the mayor nearly four of five people said they wouldn't want it allowed. 

Mayor Anthony Calderone sent a mass mailing in February water bills asking residents, "Would you like to see the Village of Forest Park allow Video Gambling in its liquor establishments?" 

As of Thursday, 500 responses were collected. Of those, 390 said they would not want it allowed, 88 said they would and 22 said they were undecided. 

"I’ll wait until (the election) results come in before I make any official statement, but if this ‘straw poll’ is any indication of the tone of the residents, which I believe it is, then the council technically will not need to do anything because gambling is currently illegal in Forest Park," Calderone said in a news release. 

Read here for more information about the video gaming referendum. 

The mayor said he hopes he'll have heard from a substantial amount of residents so the village can "put the issue to rest." 

Perhaps in response to this village news release, the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce emailed members asking for feedback from the business community, which has been outspoken in favor of video gaming. 

At a previous forum on the matter, AnnMarie Swatos, a River Forest resident and owner of Jim's Pour Decision in Forest Park, said that as a new business gaming could mean the difference between going under and staying afloat. Video gambling would help increase business on Madison Street that has waned, Swatos said, and would bring in additional revenue for local businesses.

"We are not faceless owners who would allow reckless conduct in our business," Swatos said of owner's responsibility. "Let's remember, we're all adults here and we should be able to take responsibility for our actions."

Tell us: Should video gambling be allowed in Forest Park?