Brenden Moore
The State Journal-Register
The Springfield City Council is moving forward with amending the city’s video gaming ordinance after voting it out of committee Tuesday with some slight modifications.
Reflecting changes in state law, the ordinance would increase the number of video gaming terminals allowed per establishment from five to six. It would also increase several fees associated with applying for and operating video gaming terminals in town. It also calls for annual compliance audits on at least 30 percent of video gaming licensees.
The compliance audits are meant to beef up enforcement of a 2014 ordinance requiring new licensees earn at least 60 percent of annual revenue from food and drink sales. That ordinance came about in response to the rise in storefront gaming parlors that sell minimal food and drink. Currently, audits are complaint-driven.
Additionally, council members tacked on amendments that would require video gaming license holders to receive council approval if they change their location of business and that increase the number of video gaming terminals allowed at truck stops from five to 10. While previously allowed the same number of machines as other establishments, the state’s video gaming law, signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this year, authorized additional terminals at truck stops, which are among the highest-grossing sites for video gaming, both in Springfield and across the state.
In other news, council members voted down a last-ditch effort to ban the sales and cultivation of marijuana for recreational use within city limits. The ordinance only received the support of its sponsor, Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, and was subsequently withdrawn.
Last week, the City Council voted to approved a 3 percent tax on recreational pot sales within city limits and sent updates to the zoning code to the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission, which will issue recommendations that are expected to be taken up by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission next month and the full city council in November.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 