Some Illinois Gaming Board’s filings showed that no less than seven Orland Park businesses have reached state regulators in order to apply for video gambling operation licenses after the village board announced its decision to lift a long-year ban on the games.
According to information revealed by the state’s gaming board, the local business which have so far filed applications for a video gambling operating license with the state are: Indoor Golf Links of America, Coach’s Corner Sports Bar & Grill, Mackey’s Pub, Fatties Pub, Paddy B’s Restaurant & Pub, Orland Bowl and Papa Joe’s Italian Restaurant.
Despite the fact that the Orland Park officials greenlighted video gambling last week, businesses that want to offer such games to their customers would still need approval from both the state and the village.
The village has sent a letter to local Class A license holders, informing them that preliminary applications for video gambling operating licenses will be accepted by August 27th at village hall. A total of 21 businesses are to be approved for such a license.
Businesses which eventually get a video gambling license would have to pay a tax amounting to US$1,000 per gambling machine on an annual basis, with a maximum of five machines per establishment planned to be allowed. They would also have to pay an initial application fee amounting to US$2,500. According to the local official’s resolution, businesses would be forced to pay a US$1,000 as license renewal fee each year.
As previously revealed by Casino Reports, the village of Orland Park managed to overturn the ban on video gambling following months of discussions on the matter, including a number of questions asked at an advisory referendum several months earlier. At the time when the decision was being made, it was the vote of Mayor Keith Pekau which overturned the ban by a 4 to 3 vote.
Orland Park Officials Overturn Long-Time Ban on Video Gambling
Last week, Orland Park officials revealed that video gambling licenses would only be allowed at bars and restaurants which already own Class A liquor licenses and a full restaurant menu. In addition, the village would require from the businesses to have been operating for no less than 18 straight months before filing an application for a video gaming license.
As explained by the village board at the time when the decision to lift the long-time ban on the machines, it is the officials’ intention to limit the video gambling operating licenses to only 30% of Class A license holders. Basically, this would limit the video gaming licenses to a total of 21.
For a long time, the village of Orland Park had been one of the south and southwest suburban communities which had imposed a ban on video gambling terminals. Back in 2009, local officials chose to stay out of the state law in terms of video gambling and barred the games in the village, even before the first video gambling terminals were brought to the state three years later, in September 2012.
Last year, Orland Park decided to take the issue into consideration again after some local business owners said that the ban on the machines put them in a competitive disadvantage compared to other businesses in the state which already offer this form of gambling to their customers. Still, locally, video gambling would remain banned in Palos Park, Frankfort, South Holland and Palos Heights.
