Quigley: City policy is hurting its own local businesses
By Dan McLeister
For The Elmhurst Independent
The Public Affairs and Safety (PAS) Committee is considering different options about allowing video gaming in Elmhurst: only for fraternal organizations like the American Legion and/or for restaurants with liquor licenses.
Norm Leader (2nd Ward), a member of the PAS Committee, stated “I made this referral on very narrow grounds. It is specifically to bring financial relief to the local Elmhurst American Legion post which is very much in need of help.
“I am not at this time advocating electronic gaming machines for Elmhurst as a whole, only for the American Legion. I believe that a full public discussion of video gaming is healthy and long overdue. There are legitimate pros and cons, and they should be debated. My mind is quite open on this issue.”
In-person and even online gaming plus esports can be an important part of seeking enjoyment in some people’s lives. Online gaming can provide people more than enjoyment as well; it could be a way of unwinding on a stressful day or a thing that people may partake in for mental relief. Moreover, for some gaming can be a means of side income, especially for those who may not be able to support their family on just a salary. Such an individual may play games for real money and explore other options also like blogging, participating in surveys, product testing, etc.
One type of business that the City does not want is what Chris Healy (5th Ward), chairman of the PAS Committee, called “coffee shop video gaming establishments.
Don Storino indicated that those types of establishments could be prohibited by requiring a liquor license.
Healy said a PAS Committee report to the City Council, might be issued after the next meeting in two weeks.
With more than twenty people crowded into a small City conference room, representatives from the American Legion said they need more revenue since it is spending more money than it takes in.
Restaurant owners stated that they are losing money because people are going to neighboring municipalities, which tend to offer multiple video gaming options with unbound access from best gaming vpn. Brendan Fitzharris of Fitz’s Pub and Fitz’s Spare Keys said he needed money for new carpeting and other upgrades.
At a September 28th meeting of PAS Committee John Quigley of the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said it is “unfair” for Elmhurst businesses not to have video gaming.
“There needs to be a level playing field,” he said. “That is it in a nutshell.”
In a letter to the PAS Committee Quigley stated video gaming communities have a competitive advantage over Elmhurst.
“Family-owned restaurants and bars, and fraternal organizations numbering in the double digits, report through their owners and representatives, that Elmhurst residents who are patrons of their establishments are driving a short distance across the city limit to video gaming in Oakbrook Terrace, Bensenville, Villa Park, Hillside and other municipalities. Video gaming, he said, is common in the Elmhurst area with seven of eight communities bordering Elmhurst participating in video gaming, both in DuPage and Cook counties.”
Quigley stated that state-regulated gaming is common in Elmhurst including the Illinois lottery at numerous locations, pull tabs (at the American Legion), and bingo (by churches and fraternal organizations).
He also contended that video gaming is entertainment of an ancillary nature, not unlike bowling lanes or machines, dartboards, shuffleboard tables, Golden Tee video golfing, jukeboxes, etc. A lot of places are opting for casino game nights because they can be a lot of fun while still earning money. However, you should be cautious of the platform you’re using to send and receive money. For instance, if you’re thinking about using Boku, have a look at the three advantages here.
Quigley noted that July’s report from the Illinois Gaming Board shows that Fitz’s Irish Bulldog in Villa Park, owned and operated by the same family that runs Fitz’s Pub and Fitz’s Spare Keys in downtown Elmhurst, received 35 percent of its Net Terminal Income from video gaming. Also there was a corresponding increase in food and beverage sales at that location as well, he said.
