Godfrey board to contemplate limits on new video gaming licenses

GODFREY — The Godfrey Village Board is scheduled to listen to a proposed modification to its ordinance on liquor licenses meant to limit the variety of institutions providing video gaming on Tuesday evening, April 21. 

The board held a particular assembly on Monday morning that included a primary studying of the proposed revisions, which will likely be thought-about as unfinished enterprise at Tuesday evening’s assembly.

The proposal would prohibit new gaming licenses in Godfrey to institutions with Class A liquor licenses. Current video gaming in comfort shops will likely be grandfathered and allowed to proceed working. 

“We’re trying to get this done, and we needed to have one more discussion as a group before we take a vote on it,” Village Attorney Bryan Dooling mentioned.

In 2025, Godfrey’s video gaming web terminal revenue was $7.73 million, and the Village of Godfrey obtained a tax distribution of $382,359.90, in line with the Illinois Gaming Board. The State of Illinois obtained $2.3 million in tax distribution from Godfrey’s video gaming. 

The Godfrey Village Board voted Feb. 3 to impose a 60-day moratorium on accepting new liquor licenses. Dooling mentioned on the time that the board was working to develop an amended ordinance regulating liquor and gaming licenses in Godfrey; he added that the prevailing ordinance didn’t tackle gaming in any respect.

“It was my understanding that a number of our trustees had been approached by members of the community who showed some concern with the amount of gaming that was going on in the village,” Dooling mentioned.

The revised ordinance anticipated to return up for a vote Tuesday evening has a preamble stating that “after considerable deliberation and thought, the village trustees deem it to be in the best interest” of the village to make the proposed modifications.

If authorised, new gaming licenses in Godfrey can be restricted to institutions holding Class A licenses that authorize the sale of alcoholic liquor at retail for consumption both on the premises by the drink or by the pitcher, or off the premises when offered within the unique bundle.

All candidates for Class A licenses are required to current the liquor commissioner with a marketing strategy demonstrating that the projected product sales generated by meals and drinks on the licensed location shall meet or exceed 50% of the projected gross annual income of the license holder.

The ordinance would restrict the variety of Class A licenses within the village to 22, the present variety of current licenses of that class.

Dooling identified that the difficulty has been on the agenda of open public conferences a number of instances, and no member of the general public has proven as much as touch upon the proposal.

The village lawyer mentioned Godfrey may also “grandfather in” 5 Class N licenses that permit video gaming in comfort shops.

“They’ll get to keep those licenses, and they’ll get to keep gaming under the new ordinance,” he mentioned. “But there will be no new ones issued under those different classes, and as those businesses close or transfer, those classes of license are going to be retired.”

Mayor Mike McCormick mentioned trustees determined late final week to carry the particular assembly on Monday to deal with points raised by some board members.

“Most of the issues were just grammar, just changing words up,” he mentioned. “Everything’s straightened out.”

The mayor mentioned he expects the board to approve the revised ordinance Tuesday evening.

“The provisions are intended to, No. 1, limit the growth of video gaming in the Village of Godfrey,” he mentioned. “And No. 2, retire video gaming if a place goes out of business.

“Some of the concerns brought up by our various trustees were that it’s becoming quite a problem, that video gaming has grown out of proportion. They thought maybe we should get better control over it.”

McCormick reiterated that no enterprise house owners had approached him or the board concerning the proposed modifications.

“As many times as we’ve talked about this video gaming over the last six months, never once have I heard from the existing businesses or the future businesses,” he mentioned. “And in fact, I think a lot of our existing businesses are much in favor of this, because it’s going to be to their advantage, because this is going to be less competition going forward.”