Backhand –

I personally avoid bars with pool tables because of the crowd they tend to bring in—young, male, drunk, competitive, and out to prove something. Pool tables seem to breed fighting. I see the video poker machines doing the same.

The lottery may be legal, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good way to finance State government. Remember when it was going to boost school spending? Have we seen that happen, or have we seen our taxes increase exponentially?

Yes, the video poker machines could fund capital projects in the State for the forthcoming year, but then what? They’re going to raise our damn income taxes anyways so now we’ve just given the corruption in Springfield a bigger pot to piss away or steal.

This is about more than whether or not video gaming is good for our city (it isn’t), but is also about mismanagement at the highest levels of our State. If gaming is allowed now, it will never get repealed because the jerks in Springfield will be drunk on the money it generates. Cut them off now and force them to make real spending cuts, real reforms, and real progress.

Money talks to politicians. It’s about time the taxpayers started talking to them in their own language.

T.B.

I am absolutely, 1000% opposed to the institution of video gambling in Naperville. I have/had a gambling problem, and through the Self-Exclusion Program set up under the Illinois Gaming Act, I have been able to stay out of casinos in the years since I last gambled. I fear that I and others in our community that have taken advantage of the Self-Exclusion Program will have our rights under that program violated where businesses that have video gambling machines will not be able to prevent self-excluded gamblers from having access to those machines. I've read that each machine is expected to generate only a few thousand dollars per year for the municipality in which it operates. That amount, in my view, is a pittance in comparison to the financial and social harm that video gambling will have on our families.

Well, I don't know if the seating area behind the city council dais technically qualifies as a "wing of city hall"... but those who have long been whores for the almighty tax dollar should transition into their new position (no pun intended) just fine.

Amen Brother!

I don't think the machines will generate enough tax revenue and should be banned.

As the National bankruptcy picks up steam with every new spending bill in DC and Springfield, the tax revenue shortfalls will become increasingly dire. Tax receipts have already collapsed.

Like Caligula's Rome, our city should convert a wing of city hall to a state owned brothel staffed with those who benefited the most from the government in the past.

In DC there would be so many prostitutes, that the Pentagon's halls would have to be lined with cots.

In this way, the insane spending and anti-citizen policies of governments can be prolonged until a complete collapse when the hyper-inflation kicks in.

By Anonymous on August 7, 2009 2:10 PM
Clever Irony,

Laws prohibiting poker machines in taverns would not be protecting you from yourself...
they would be protecting you from your inebriated self...

Which, by defeinition, is.........?

Of course it should be banned. It wouldn't be Naperville if everyone wasn't try to tell everyone how to live and what to do. For gosh sakes people those machines will unleash havoc. The earth will open and swallow us whole. Those machines are Satans key to enslave us all each and everyone. Can I have an amen.

If video poker is ok and just harmless, freedom of choice entertainment then what is the need to place this form of entertainment in bars and taverns? Why aren't established entertainment venues such as Odyssey or Brunswick Zone for example not being given first shot at expanding the scope of entertainment that they already have established a niche and some expertise at running? Is it really a good idea to allow the mix of alcohol and gambling... certain other mixes of alcohol are not allowed, as in strip clubs. If we need to allow gambling, if we are dependent upon a new tax stream from video poker isn't it a little bit more ethical to make sure that the proceeds from such revenue streams are derived from people who are clearly making a conscious decision without the affects of alcohol coming into their decision making process? When alcohol enters the mix don't we also have the added risk of those who have gambled away too much now getting drunk in their depressed state and increasing everyones risk of more drunk drivers out there?

Roads, bridges, storm sewers, and other infrastructure are shot due to years of underfunded maintenance. People keep screaming for government to rein in spending out of one side of their mouths and screaming for more entitlement and social services programs out of the other side. Politicians are trying to please everybody so they will be re-elected and they pass legislation with no way of funding it. We end up with state highways that don't get resurfaced, rights-of-way that now only get mowed twice a year, and needed improvements that get put on the back burner because of lack of funding. Quinn comes up with a plan to fund needed work with gambling revenues, which raises the hackles of the self-righteous everywhere. The fact is the vast majority of those exposed to video gaming will play prudently just as the vast majority of adults consume alcohol prudently. The media will place the few abusers under a magnifying glass and make it appear there is a major problem when there is none. And so it goes...

By banning video gaming, Naperville would not only lose the revenue from the machines but sales tax revenue to neighboring towns that allow them. Although I don't understand it, there will be those who choose to entertain themselves where they can find the machines. If they don't find them in Naperville, they will find them elsewhere, where they will eat, drink and be merry.

What a lousy choice our state politicians have offered. They banned smoking statewide making cities less vulnerable to those who would choose entertainment locales based on the ability to smoke. Now they have offered cities the opportunity to push away potential visitors by banning gaming. Great leadership.

I frankly don't care what people do with their own money. They can gamble it away, drink it away, give it away, or throw it away.

It is only when people (in the form of government) start doing it with my money that I take great exception.

T.B.
I'm sure you've been to downtown Naperville on a Friday or Saturday night. I hardly call it "family friendly." I wouldn't say that it's out of hand either, but it's not the image of perfection that Naperville residents like to paint it as.

With that said, however, I don't think video poker will turn Naperville into Pottersville. Ken has a point. Lottery tickets are a legalized form of gambling. I can go to racetracks and casinos nearby and gamble. I can go to the nearby Foundry in Aurora and bet on any racetrack in the country.

It is about money, and that's okay. Because the city needs money to plow your precious streets after one flake of snowfall. The Chamber has over 2,000 businesses in it, so they do have control here. Residents can vote out the entire dias, but video poker will still show its ugly head, regardless.

I must admit I have not read the bill. But it is my understanding that any community that bans video poker also does not get any capital dollars.

Does that mean no improvements to Route 59 for 59 years? I think our state reps should weigh in.

Clever Irony,

Laws prohibiting poker machines in taverns would not be protecting you from yourself...
they would be protecting you from your inebriated self...

I am always in favor of laws that protect me against myself

Certainly not a good idea for a town that wishes to be thought of as "family friendly."

Last time I checked it was citizens who vote to ELECT city council members, who in turn APPOINT the city manager. Our newest city manager seems like a pleasant enough guy though from his statement he seems terribly naive about how our government process actually works. Do the local businesses have a voice? Absolutely, but unless they are Naperville residents they don't have a vote. Having a voice is a whole lot less than a vote. If the city manager and the city council forget the difference between a voice and a vote they are both likely to be in for a rude awakening from those who do chose to exercise their right to vote at an upcoming election.

Gambling has always been lumped in with other forms of questionable businesses that citizens, not business owners, ultimately determine are or are not appropriate for their community. Taverns, liquor stores, massage parlors, "adult" book shops, escort services, strip clubs, race tracks, betting parlors, etc. are some common examples of businesses that may or may not be allowed based upon the morals and values of the community as a whole.

Let's face it the businesses who would WANT gambling machines only want to turn a buck. City Hall is discussing gambling only in terms of how much tax money they can likely suck out such an operation. Both businesses and city hall are motivated by the false allure of money. Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that those who gamble at such machines are the very sort of people who can ill afford to gamble away their paycheck. An honest discussion of gambling simply must include all of the downsides to gambling along with the the social consequences to families and individuals.

Personally I could care less what any Naperville business or even what the Naperville Chamber of Commerce thinks about gambling for that matter. Gambling is not something Naperville needs or wants. it is up to the citizens of Naperville to communicate to local businesses the standards we find acceptable in our community. It is not up to local businesses to tell Naperville citizens how they want to make a buck in our community. What I do care about is what the city council thinks about gambling and how each member will vote on this issue in terms of representing the citizens of Naperville who elected them.

Video Poker would add a nice mix to kid friendly Naperville, a.k.a. Pottersville. With the multitude of establishments serving alchol, why not allow video poker too. Show the kids first hand what they have to look forward to in their young adult life... excitement of being able to drink and gamble without leaving he comfort of your bar stool or cafe table. Place the machines in highly visible areas, perhaps near public walkways so the children can be part of the action. Perhaps some would drink less if they lost a few dollars in a poker machine.... making our streets safer. The local casinos may loose a few dollars, but who cares about them. Those empires were not built from winners. What`s next? A gentlemans club or a cougars lounge? come on now Naperville... don`t let Pottersville out do you. After all, It`s A Wonderful Life.

Anon (08/06 @ 4:54 PM) --

The Moose lodge didn’t close because their video poker machines were "banned", drying up “one of their main sources of revenue”. Those machines were never legal. The Moose were breaking the law by paying out on the machines.

**********

Putting video poker machines in bars is a bad idea, but I don’t equate them with the lottery as Ken does for the simple reason that this mixes alcohol with the chance to lose your money.

I don’t want to see the machines in Naperville. I don’t think gambling in the downtown bars would do anything to enhance our family-friendly atmosphere and would add fuel to the fire of those who believe that the downtown bars are already getting out of hand (no, I don’t believe they are).

Is it too much to ask our beloved Gov to take a real stab at reducing the overall budget before he asks us for more tax money? Is reliance on gambling revenue really a good way to run a State? The Gov’s threats to cuts essential services ring hallow when the proposed budget still included funding for questionable items such as construction at a camp in Wisconsin operated by the Jewish Community Center of Chicago and facility improvements at other religious-based organizations in Illinois (see Eric Zorn’s July 28th column).

T.B.

Hasn't anyone been reading the paper? The city manager said he's waiting for direction from the Chamber of Commerce. As soon as they decide what they want ( which is always what's best for the rest of us) then the City will take a position. At list he's honest about who wields the influence.

I'm pretty sure the Naperville Moose lodge closed shortly after the video poker machines were banned in the mid to late 90's. I think it was one of their main sources of revenue.

I'm inclined to be opposed to this, though I don't feel as strongly about it as Anonymous on August 6, 2009 1:36 PM.

Towns, cities, and counties should ban video poker as soon as they ban lotto ticket sales. Why should one form of gambling be sanctioned and another form decried. It smacks of self-righteous hypocrisy by those appointing themselves to be the morals police.

What a terribly bad idea to allow video poker. Not only do we already have WAY too much gambling, but this will likely just be another way for the "mob" to get back in business.

To all the tax whores sitting behind the dais at city hall... learn how to live without taxes from insidious revenue streams like gambling; better yet, learn to live within a budget and even better yet learn how to cut the budget and lower taxes! Less government is better government.