St Charles City Council Should Approve Limited Video Gaming

Message to St Charles City Council: Approve Limited Video Gaming - Help Veterans and Service Organizations Help St Charles

As a resident of the greater St Charles area, I believe it is time for the St Charles City Council to approve video gaming which would be limited to the Veterans organizations and service organizations of St. Charles. Without such an approval, we risk losing these valuable community groups.

Approving limited video gambling will bring needed revenue to St. Charles, and to many surrounding charitable organizations that are supported in whole or in part by fraternal establishments and veterans organizations such as Moose Lodge 1368,  American Legion Post 342, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5036 and others.

Supporting a limited gaming license for service organizations and veterans organizations helps support our community

The St. Charles Moose Lodge 1368 has been in existence in St. Charles for over 100 years. Like its parent organization, the purpose of the Moose Lodge is to support charitable endeavors locally and across the world. The St. Charles Moose, through fundraising activities, has provide financial support and services to local entities such as Lazarus House, Tri-Cities Health Partnership, Tri-Cities Exchange Club, Boy Scout Pack #239, Wounded Warriors Project, American Cancer Society, Special Olympics and both St Charles high schools. It only makes sense to allow these organizations to continue to thrive financially and to support their good works.

By enacting a limited gaming ordinance, the revenue that would be raised by local service and veterans organizations would be assured to go back into our community, rather than into the pockets of tavern owners, bar owners, and the municipal coffers of neighboring towns. 

Additionally, finding new alternative sources of tax revenue for St. Charles is a more responsible move for our City Council than simply raising the tax rates year after year. It was reported in the News-Gazette that Urbana’s American Legion post raised the most money in the state of Illinois totaling during one period - $17,798 for state capital projects and $3,560 for the city of Urbana — just in the month of November 2012 alone.

Video gaming does not cause an increase in crime according to police studies

As reported in a Chicago newspaper, in August 2013 Darien Police Chief Ernest Brown told the Darien City Council that he had conducted a limited survey of 13 other suburbs who had approved an unlimited gaming ordinance and none had seen an increase in crime or criminal activity, or in vehicular or pedestrian traffic.

One suburb in fact had reported to the Darien Chief an unexpected increase in revenue beyond their expectations. In another report from the News-Democrat on January 25, 2014, it was written that statewide, the video games at bars and clubs and truck stops had revenue of $269.7 million from December 2012 to November 2013. That amount continues to grow. If the gaming establishments had a full year of revenue like they had in November 2013 -- $36 million -- their annual revenue would be around $432 million.

Do other towns have limited gaming licenses?

Yes. Evergreen Park and the City of New Lenox have successfully enacted ordinances that authorize only licensed fraternal establishments and licensed veterans establishments to conduct video gaming. A copy of the Village of New Lenox ordinance is available online.

Video Gaming is Available Within Blocks of St Charles. Patrons Will Simply Go There While St Charles Suffers.

A resident of north St. Charles can go to a video gaming establishment in adjoining towns within minutes of leaving their house, so accessibility to gaming is not an issue. It is simply a question of finances, and common sense. Would we rather have our residents spend their money in a South Elgin bar, or would we prefer to keep them at home with a service organization where the money spent remains local and charitable. The choice seems obvious.

St Charles City Council’s Refusal to Act Might Drive Organizations Elsewhere

Despite friendly approaches by these organizations, the City Council has offered excuses such as an unfounded fear of an increase in crime, or that a licensed cannot be limited to simply veterans and fraternal organizations, or a concern over increased traffic. Now that some time has past, and it has been established that those concerns have not occurred in other towns, the city council should revisit this matter and adopt an ordinance that keeps our charitable organizations vibrant and local.  I personally do not wish to see the St. Charles Moose, or any other local organization leave town simply over this limited issue. Now that VFW Post 5036 has sold its property in St. Charles, where will they move? If the City does not approve a limited gaming license, my bet is that they may not return to St. Charles, which would be a loss for all of us.