Ben Stanley
Staff writerPosted Dec. 9, 2015 at 12:31 PM
Updated Dec 9, 2015 at 12:40 PMBELVIDERE — More bar, restaurant and gaming parlor owners are trying their luck with video gambling machines in Belvidere. And so far, the move is paying dividends.Video gambling has surged in Belvidere since the first 10 video gaming machines were installed at two local bars in September 2013.In 2014, Belvidere gamers lost a total of $1,827,154 on local slots. If the popularity of slot parlors and video gambling machines in Belvidere grows at its current rate through December, gamers are on track to lose more than $3,700,000 this year.As of October, there were 13 establishments in Belvidere operating a total of 60 machines.More are coming.An application for a special use permit to operate a slot shop called "Slots of Fortune II" at 101 N. State Street, an old brick building overlooking the Kishwaukee River downtown, was approved in November. Another for a place called Niko's Cabin, planned for the former location of Wicked Brew Coffee & Cafe at 506 S. State St., is being considered.Gina DelRose, associate planner with the Belvidere-Boone County Planning Department, said as many as 16 establishments in Belvidere could be operating video gambling machines by February 2016.Mayor Mike Chamberlain said he plans to discuss capping the number of gaming parlors allowed in Belvidere at 20 during a City Council meeting in January."There are social consequences of gaming," Chamberlain said. "It’s a double-edged sword.""Every valuable retail space that is open downtown is a gaming parlor," he added. "And while the revenue is nice, it’s nothing like the sales tax that would come from a nice restaurant."From Jan. 1 through Oct. 31, the city generated nearly $140,000 through video gambling tax revenue. Since the first slots began operating in Sept. 2013, the city has made nearly $240,000.In 2013, the City Council voted 7-3 to lower the cost of a liquor license from $20,000 to $10,000 to attract restaurants and bars downtown. At the time, Chamberlain told the Register Star he was concerned the measure would provide a gateway for store owners looking to install video poker machines."I don’t want the downtown to end up being a gaming parlor with gaming machines in every other storefront," he said in 2013.Though Belvidere has a comparatively low number of gambling machines, on average, its slots are significantly outperforming those in neighboring areas, such as Loves Park, which has a comparable population to Belvidere.In October of this year, video gamblers wagered an average of $88,514 and lost an average of $7,212.95 on each machine in Belvidere. In Loves Park, gamblers wagered $65,739 and lost $4,916 per machine.
There are 49 establishments in Loves Park operating a total of 235 video gambling machines. In June 2014, Loves Park capped its number of video gambling parlors, sometimes referred to as "casino cafes," at 20. Casino cafes are small parlors that focus on gambling, and offer only minimal food or alcohol sales. The state’s Video Gaming Act allows any business licensed to serve alcohol for consumption on the premises to have up to five slot machines."I don’t mind them," said Belvidere Alderman Daniel Arevalo, W-2, of video gambling machines. "They bring some revenue and some people will always want to go gamble ... now they don’t have to travel as far and the money stays here."As it stands, Belvidere has no cap on the number of video gambling parlors that can operate in the city. If a business has a liquor license, they are eligible to apply for a special use permit to operate video gambling machines.Ben Stanley: 815-987-1369; bstanley@rrstar.com; @ben_j_stanley
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