It will be interesting to see what becomes of gambling in Illinois. There's talk now that we could have legalized online gambling. Senate President John Cullerton says it could add hundreds of millions of dollars to the state's treasury. There's also talk of expanding gambling in other ways in the state, which the Governor has said no to. Hutsonville is also pondering allowing gambling through video poker machines in the village.
It is easy revenue. If there's gambling available, people will take advantage of it. Ask Las Vegas and ask any casino if they're making any money at gambling. The extra money is incredibly tempting, especially considering the financial state of the state.
In Hutsonville, they're weighing the moral costs of allowing gambling and that's a very fair thing to do. There are measures in place to keep you from losing too much in a day, but that still might be too much for some people to lose. They're doing the right thing by having a public hearing June 12th to see if the public wants the village to allow gaming.
For me, allowing gambling online or in Hutsonville really isn't going to change my life. I'm not a gambler now and allowing it isn't going to turn me into a gambler. This is probably true of a lot of other people too.
The Village of Hutsonville has some big decisions to make over the next few weeks. They've been asked to issue a Class B liquor license, which they've never done before. The bigger issue, though, is if the village wants to allow gambling.
Lucy's Place wants to put a pub in the village. In their proposal, they describe it like a Starbucks with beer. They wouldn't serve hard alcohol, but they would have beer and wine. The license requires that 51% of what they do would have to be food sales. They would also have video poker machines that would comply with state laws.
There are going to be people that are fundamentally opposed to gambling, but the village also has to consider the benefits to the village. They would be able to collect a percentage of the money from the machines. Small towns have to consider how they get their money. The village collected roughly $13,000 in property taxes last year. The prospect of finding a new revenue source is tempting. On the other hand, does the village want to fund projects on the backs of gamblers?
A few village board members talked about their preference of a nice waterfront restaurant that happened to have video gaming machines, but they also said there might be a big difference between what they want and what they actually can get.
The village board is doing the right thing by seeking public comments before they take any action. They don't have to do that and there's nothing stopping them from making a decision, but ultimately, they represent the people. If an overwhelming majority has a strong opinion for or against gaming, the board will know which direction to go.
The Oblong Unit Four School Board has some big decisions to make over the next few weeks. The Little Okaw Valley Conference extended invitations to five school districts, including Oblong for a proposed expansion starting in 2014.
The board has been seeking comments from the public to help them make the best decision possible. Oblong is currently one of the smallest schools in the Little Illini Conference and that's led to some lopsided losses in several sports. Coaches gave their input at a special board meeting and they feel that the change would give Oblong a better chance to compete because the school sizes are more on par with Oblong. Some athletes and parents also brought up the competition angle.
I don't think anyone really thinks that Oblong is going to suddenly be a dominant force in a different conference. Is it a gain if you go from a middle of the pack finish in one conference to the same finish in another? But, it might be better for the kids if their losses are closer than going somewhere and losing by a wide margin to a larger school that has a deeper pool of kids to draw from.
One of the concerns is about travel. Moving from the Little Illini Conference to the LOVC would add about 1578 miles to the travel schedule each year. That could cost as much as $2500 more in increased fuel and labor costs. Some sports would have to leave as early as 1:30 PM to get to games and they might not get home until 11:15 PM. The board has to decide if the missed class time and the late nights are worth it.
Some parents are also concerned if they will be able to make it to games. That's especially a concern for working parents with kids playing sports with afternoon start times.
Right now, it is hard to get a good read on where the school board stands. It all could be a moot point if one of the other four schools invited decides to stay where they are. The expansion is contingent on all five schools agreeing to come on board. The board also has to make a decision before seeing how the new LIC is going to look. Ultimately, the board's decision comes down to what is best for the kids.
