(Photo courtesy cityblm.org)
By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington aldermen appear ready to extend the one-year freeze preventing businesses from installing new video gaming machines.
At the same time, city leaders are considering imposing a fee on existing gaming machines to help raise funds for projects like a new O’Neill Park swimming pool.
Alderman Joni Painter, who pushed for the moratorium a year ago, said Monday night that gaming terminals aren’t a cash cow for local governments, but actually a drain on revenue.
The city received $800,000 in tax revenue from video gaming last year.
“Eight-hundred thousand barely covers the cost of regulating these machines and the social costs they incur,” said Painter.
She added that gaming machines are taking money away from casinos, which are supposed to help schools.
“As video gambling has proliferated, it has cut into the profits of casinos, thus starving our schools of much needed funding,” Painter also said.
The council plans to vote on the extended moratorium next Monday night. After that, the council will consider other options.
Alderman Amelia Buragas suggested the council should look at more restrictive zoning rules, capping the number of terminals in the city, and levying fees.
“I’m not sure what’s most effective, but I’m curious to find out because I would like to know more about what is the scope of the issue we’re looking at so we can make sure whatever action we take accomplishes what we would like to see accomplished,” Buragas also said.
City Manager Tim Gleason said charging businesses $500 for each existing video gaming terminal would generate about $125,000.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]
