LaSalle County license committee reviews video-gaming revenue, renewal timelines and distributor fees

The LaSalle County License Committee on Jan. 14 reviewed rising video-gaming revenue figures, outlined upcoming renewal deadlines for several license types and discussed a $2,000 distributor fee due at the end of February.

Amanda, license-department staff, told the committee she had distributed a video-gaming revenue sheet covering 2019 through the present along with the monthly report for November. "I also gave you guys a video gaming revenue sheet. This also includes 2019 to present. And then I gave you the video gaming monthly report for November," Amanda said.

Why it matters: video-gaming receipts affect permit holders across the county and are the basis for renewals and distributor allocations the committee will decide later this quarter. Committee members said the November figures showed a noticeable increase compared with earlier months and noted December might be higher because of the holidays.

Key deadlines and fees reported - Video-gaming licenses: Amanda said video-gaming licenses expire at the end of January. "Video gaming expires the end of January," she said. She added the license fee is $25 per machine. - Liquor licenses: Amanda said liquor licenses expire at the end of June. - Amusement licenses: Renewals for amusement gaming were distributed and are due at the end of the month; Amanda said she had received roughly a third of those renewals so far. - Fees and limits: Amanda summarized current fee structure: "$25 per machine, and then it's a $150 per amusement." She also said operators can hold a maximum of six video-gaming machines.

Distributor fee and next steps Amanda told the committee that distributor renewals are due at the end of February and that the distributor licensing cost is $2,000. She identified two named distributors on the county’s list — "JJ Adventures" and "Lattner" — and said there are about six distributors. The committee agreed to revisit how distributor allocations are split and Amanda said she would present a proposed split at the next quarterly license meeting; the group may call an additional meeting if redistribution is needed.

Local operators and revenue concentration Committee members named local high producers. Amanda identified SAT Enterprises, located in Streeter and run by Shane Hills, as an operator that supplies multiple establishments including B and R Grocery and Amy's Gaming Parlor. She also said A and S Unlimited, a mini grocery in Sandwich, is a top producer in the county.

Other business and clarifications The committee confirmed stickers on machines are issued at the state level, limiting the committee’s role in that specific compliance step. When asked about the county's cannabis tax, a committee member (Mister Wallace) was told the License Committee does not handle cannabis tax issues.

Procedural votes The committee approved several routine motions by voice vote: approval of remote attendance pursuant to resolution 25 2023-53 (motion by Missus Traeger, second by Miss Busch; voice vote recorded as "aye"), approval of the prior meeting minutes (motion by Miss Nikki, second by Miss Busch; voice vote recorded as "aye") and a motion to adjourn (motion by Mister Traeger, second by Miss Busch; voice vote recorded as "aye"). The meeting proceeded with no recorded roll-call tallies in the transcript.

The committee meets quarterly; Amanda said she will bring the distributor split proposal to the next meeting and that the group would schedule an extra meeting only if necessary to finalize distributor allocations.