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Downtown bar owner urges council to lift video-gaming moratorium, cites Illinois Gaming Act
Summary
Owner of Shake It Up Cocktail Lounge told the council the city's moratorium on video gaming unfairly benefits some establishments and asked the council to allow more businesses to host machines, referencing the Illinois Gaming Act Section 2a.
Jill Whitaker, co-owner of Shake It Up Cocktail Lounge and Eatery, used the public comment period to urge the Bloomington City Council to end or change the city's moratorium on video gaming licenses.
"We simply want to operate our business on the same level playing field as our peers in this industry," Whitaker said. She told the council that because of the moratorium only about 60 establishments can host gaming machines now and that her downtown business is on a waiting list. Whitaker cited Illinois Gaming Act Section 2a, saying the statute was intended to help local businesses and increase state revenue.
Whitaker described the moratorium as harming small businesses in downtown Bloomington and argued the city should implement the state's intent to use video gaming to support local economic activity. The city did not engage in a debate during public comment, and no council action on the moratorium was recorded at the meeting.
