Edwardsville residents vote ‘no’ on video gambling, but referendum item is non-binding
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 11:10 p.m. Tuesday to reflect higher vote counts than previously reported by the Madison County clerk’s office.
Edwardsville residents sent a message to the City Council about video gambling on Tuesday.
They voted 1,237 to 782 against a referendum item that asked if the city should allow video gambling in bars, according to unofficial election results posted by the Madison County clerk’s office on Tuesday night with all of the city’s 25 precincts reporting.
The result is non-binding, but city officials have indicated that it will guide their decision-making in the coming months.
The Illinois Video Gaming Act of 2009 allowed slot and poker machines or “terminals” to be installed in restaurants and bars, truck-stop convenience stores that sell packaged liquor and halls operated by veteran and fraternal organizations. It took three years to implement the law.
Edwardsville was one of the communities that opted out of video gambling, which was opposed by Mayor Gary Niebur, now deceased, who called it “not consistent with community standards,” according to the Edwardsville Intelligencer.
Three local ministers also spoke against video gambling during a 2012 debate, and the City Council voted 6-1 to impose a ban.
Fast forward to March of 2020, when the state of Illinois began putting in place COVID-19 restrictions that forced restaurants and bars to close or severely limit operations for months at a time.
By summer, owners of Edwardsville establishments were asking city officials to change course on video gambling, arguing that it could help them recover from financial losses by generating revenue and attracting new customers who now drive elsewhere to play.
City Council consideration started with a proposed ordinance that would have largely repealed the ban. That was revised to limit video gambling to halls operated by veteran and fraternal organizations and a gas station with what could be categorized as a truck-stop convenience store.
Aldermen voted that proposal down 4-3 on Sept. 25, 2020. Some pointed to social issues such as gambling addiction and the disproportionate negative financial effects of gambling on poor people.
The City Council then considered another ordinance to allow video gambling only at halls operated by veteran and fraternal organizations. That passed on Nov. 3, 2020, with a 5-2 vote.
In December, the City Council voted unanimously to place a referendum item on the consolidated election ballot, asking residents if they would like to see video gambling allowed in bars with Class B or C liquor licenses and more than 50% of revenue coming from on-premises alcohol consumption.
This story was originally published April 6, 2021 at 9:11 PM.
