Dan Petrella
The State Journal-Register
A handful of businesses that have already received the zoning approval necessary to open storefront video gambling parlors in Springfield could see their plans disrupted by a proposed restriction the city council is expected to discuss Tuesday night.
Ward 6 Ald. Cory Jobe and Ward 1 Ald. Frank Edwards are sponsoring an ordinance that would require businesses that receive their liquor licenses on or after May 15 to earn at least 60 percent of their annual revenue from food and beverage sales if they want to offer video gaming. A 2009 law allows liquor-pouring establishments that receive a state license to have up to five gaming machines. Businesses in Springfield also need a city license.
Ward 2 Ald. Gail Simpson, Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner, Ward 4 Ald. Frank Lesko and Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin have signed on as co-sponsors of the ordinance, Jobe said.
Zoning approved
The city council already has approved zoning changes to allow 16 gaming parlors throughout the city and could vote on five more requests in May. Of those that have been approved, city records show five have yet to receive their liquor licenses, the first step toward getting video gaming machines.
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A local-ownership requirement isn’t part of the current proposal, but Edwards has cited an out-of-state chain’s interest the capital city as one of the reasons for instituting the new restriction on video gaming.
Dotty’s coming next?
The council has approved liquor licenses for four Dotty’s cafes. The chain has more than 150 locations in Oregon, Nevada and Montana, and it plans to open 150 in Illinois over the next several years.
The Illinois Gaming Board has approved licenses for about two dozen Dotty’s locations in the northern part of the state, and applications for three in Springfield — 1861 Sangamon Ave., 3140 W. Iles Ave. and 2520 N. Dirksen Parkway — are pending, according to the most recent update on the gaming board’s website.
The law requires that new establishments with 15 or fewer machines in the state’s most populated counties have at least 2,500 square feet of space open to the public, a full-service kitchen, a bar and restaurant-style seating for at least 25 people, among other requirements.
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Read the full article at sj-r.com…
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 