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Proposed ban on video gambling a bad bet
Peoria Journal Star
May 27, 2010
Editorial
This afternoon, members of a Peoria County Board committee will take the first step in deciding whether to ban video gambling machines in bars in unincorporated parts of the county. Such a move would have little benefit.
The $31 billion, multi-year capital construction plan passed by the Legislature last spring to build roads, bridges, schools, etc., is partially funded by the legalization of wagering on the machines, with the state taking a cut of the earnings in taxes. The devices have been used in taverns, restaurants, veterans organizations and social clubs around Illinois, but officially had been restricted to a "for amusement only" basis. Surprise, surprise, lots of joints flouted the law and paid out winnings under the table, secure in the knowledge that law enforcement had neither the manpower nor inclination to launch a crackdown. When the Legislature changed the rules and officially condoned payouts on the machines, they allowed local municipalities the chance to opt out. Thus far, around 70 communities across the state have done so - though one of the biggest to take a pass, suburban Kane County, later overturned its ban. Locally, only Morton has forbidden them. A measure covering unincorporated Tazewell County has stalled.
Most of the support for making the wagering illegal again is based on morality and the personal and financial pain that gambling addicts can inflict upon their families. Such concerns have some merit. Yet our objections to any ban are largely pragmatic and remain the same as before: To view the entire article, click here.  |
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