Few attend county hearing on video poker gambling

The Will County Board's first of two public hearings on the controversial legalization of video poker machines drew little interest on Oct. 21.

Six people showed up, one a child accompanying his father.

In May, the General Assembly decided to legalize up to 65,000 of the machines statewide, largely to finance a capital spending program that would mainly involve road and bridge work throughout the state. Projections show the machines raking in as much as $375 million a year for infrastructure projects.

But the new law allows towns and counties to prohibit the machines, and many have, including Cook, DuPage and Lake counties and the city of Chicago. The Will County Board in August discussed banning them in the county's unincorporated areas but agreed to do more research and seek public input before making a decision.

The board scheduled two public hearings on the matter, the first was on Oct. 21.

David Smith, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute, a not-for-profit ministry based in Carol Stream, appeared with his young son and told board members that his group is working to have the video-gambling law repealed, Smith said. Gambling causes social problems including bankruptcy, unemployment and divorce, he said.

"There's actually a net loss when gambling comes into a neighborhood," Smith said, urging board members to ban the machines.

John Greuling of the Will County Center for Economic Development said the organization has yet to take a position on video poker, but the tax revenue it would produce would help build the third airport for the Peotone area and many roads in Will County.

"If we want to eat the cake, we have to help bake the cake," Greuling said.

Mary Goins, former owner of downtown Joliet's Chicago Street Pub and a member of the Illinois Licensed Beverage Association, said the machines would have a maximum bet of $2 and a top payout of $500.

"It won't be big payouts like a casino," she said in supporting the machines.

County board member Sharon May, D-Channahon, asked Goins how much money would go into each machine on average each day. Goins said the estimate was $70 to $90 a day.

County board chairman James Moustis, R-Frankfort, remains vehemently against video gambling, but member Walter Adamic, D-Joliet, said it was too soon to make a decision. The Illinois Gaming Board just released on Oct. 20 a partial list of rules to govern video gambling, he said.

"It's not a perfect solution (to the state's money woes)," Adamic said. "But right now I am willing to hear both sides (before) making a final decision."

The second public hearing on video gambling will be at 6 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Will County Office Building, 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet.