Community Corner

Village to Vote on Video Gaming

Lake Zurich board of trustees expected to vote on ordinance allowing video gaming at Sept. 17 meeting.

village trustees discussed whether or not to allow video gaming in the village, at Tuesday's village board meeting. The board is expected to vote on a final draft of an ordinance that would repeal the prohibition on video gaming in the village, at its Sept. 17 meeting. Video gaming machines are lottery-type terminals, such as poker games.

The only trustee who spoke against video gaming was Trustee Dana Rzeznik. Rzeznik pointed out that only a handful of suburbs have approved video gaming-- including nearby Wauconda. 

"I don't believe it goes well with the nature of Lake Zurich," Rzeznik said. 

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Trustee Tom Poynton said he would like to see financial issues solved by another method, other than gambling, however he doesn't believe in legislating what people can and can't do.

"We have moms going to bunco nights, dads hosting poker parties . . . We have casino nights at local churches . . . There are only two states in the country that don't allow gambling," Poynton said. "I have no problem with a video gaming ordinance at this point."

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The question of when two area businesses requested the village consider allowing it. Joe Schweda, owner of , and John Barrington, commander of the , spoke during public comment on Tuesday, urging the board to allow video gaming. 

Barrington explained that the state of Illinois gets most of the revenue from video gaming; the village would receive just 5 percent; and the business would get about 35 percent.

Poynton asked Village Attorney Carlos Arevalo to clarify some questions concerning video gaming. Arevalo explained that if the village approved video gaming, any eligible establishment could have video gaming. Eligible businesses include establishments that serve alcohol, veterans groups, fraternal groups and truck stops.

If the village approved video gaming, the board could change its mind at a later date and decide to prohibit it. Arevalo also explained that residents could gather signatures for a referendum prohibiting video gaming.

Trustee Terry Mastandrea said he believes the village should go ahead with video gambling and could repeal the ordinance if it became a problem. 

The state prohibited video gaming machines in 2009 to allow time for the Illinois Gaming Board to  create rules and guidelines for their use. The Lake Zurich board followed the state prohibition in 2009.

The IGB has recently made video gaming permissable again, and created Administrative Code Part 1800 that sets forth guidelines on how the devices will be regulated and monitored.

The new rules require that the devices be in a separate, devoted area, and that there be limited access to that area. Close supervision and management by a person 21 years of age or older who has the device constantly in sight also is mandated


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