Video gaming advances however no vote but

The proposed laws permitting video gaming terminals in Chicago handed out of committee final week however didn’t come to a full council vote as a result of sponsor Ald. Tony Beale’s (ninth) determination to additional develop the ordinance, in keeping with Ald. Marty Quinn.

Mayor Brandon Johnson opposes video gaming terminals in Chicago, not eager to negatively affect Bally’s on line casino earnings and thinks the 5 p.c VGT income share allotted to the town is simply too small to warrant consideration.

Ald. Silvana Tabares (twenty third) helps the VGT ordinance, citing the continued wrestle by eating places in her ward to get better pandemic {dollars}.

“The restaurants that border the suburbs like in my ward? People are going to the suburbs to eat. These restaurants also have gaming machines and we are losing revenue,” Tabares mentioned.

The alderman additionally added that with underfunded pensions being the primary price range concern for Chicago, gaming income ought to go to police, fireplace and metropolis employee pension funds.

An examination by the Southwest News-Herald of 5 suburbs close to or bordering Chicago included Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Burbank, Cicero and Stickney.

The mixed 2024 suburban inhabitants in these suburbs was 137,742 folks and the suburbs netted a complete of $2,547,235.21 between January and September, in keeping with the Illinois Gaming Board’s Video Gaming Report.

Hypothetically, by evaluating the 5 suburbs’ complete inhabitants and their gaming income numbers to the town’s 2024 inhabitants of two,721,308 folks, the town may notice roughly $67,926,272 in income in 12 months.

This complete estimate covers a single snapshot second and doesn’t consider fluctuating VGT income numbers yr over yr.

Ald. Ray Lopez disagreed with the mayor’s opposition to VGTs in Chicago primarily based on discount of Bally’s on line casino earnings.

Bally’s buyer base is completely different from folks utilizing VGTs in bars “like Waller’s or Bobby G’s”, he mentioned.

“The mayor is protecting the $3 million bonus Bally’s gave Chicago for violence prevention under Lori Lightfoot,” Lopez mentioned. “It’s conditional on never allowing video gaming in the City of Chicago.”

Quinn agreed straightforward video terminal gaming alternatives exist near the thirteenth Ward in Bedford Park, a brief drive down sixty fifth Street or in Summit on the Thornton’s gasoline station at 59th and Harlem.

“I think the conversation is evolving,” he mentioned. “Alderman Beale is right in saying this is potentially a new revenue stream that the city doesn’t have right now and that’s, frankly, what we have to be thinking about when trying to fix a budget hole.”

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