October 4, 2007
Gambling Action Alert
The Governor saw the potential danger of legalizing gambling in every community statewide when he vetoed HB 1124. Yesterday, the House had to take two votes before they could over ride the veto. Nine people changed their votes before they had enough votes to override the veto. Now the bill will move to the Senate.
Final House Roll Call Vote on HB 1124.For Immediate Action
- Call your State Senator (217-782-2000) and ask him to vote NO on the motion to override the Veto on HB 1124.
Talking Points to SUPPORT the Veto of HB 1124
- HB 1124 will expand gambling in every community statewide. This legislation legalizes gambling on video games in bars, restaurants, clubs, convenience stores, bowling alleys, and truck stops. Individuals, families, and communities will suffer.
- Organized crime and money laundering are real concerns. The Chicago Sun-Times reported "Feds believe Mickey Marcello-brother of James Marcello-worked out of his Cicero business, collecting money from more than 40 bars throughout the suburbs" (2/28/2005).
- Potentially addictive. Young adults have grown up playing electronic video games, which can become addictive. Adding the element of cash and prizes would make the activity even more attractive, and many will become addicted to gambling.
- HB 1124 would allow people to win money on video game "contests", transforming bars into gambling places where people could lose everything they own.
- It will be impossible to police these establishments to determine if there is illegal gambling. The state of Maryland recently received a $2.5 million criminal settlement from a gambling company that knowingly operated illegal gambling machines at truck stops (Baltimore Sun 5/9/2007). Gamblers in Illinois will expect a "payout" on all video machine games in bars, convenience stores, bowling alleys, restaurants, and truck stops.
- Children and families will suffer if parents neglect their children to play in video game contests. One mother spent 50 hours a week playing an online video game, and her husband was playing even more (CBS News 4/30/2007).
"South Korea's video game culture is unmatched. It is the birthplace of online PC games. Now South Korea is fighting belatedly to control a mushrooming industry of gambling casinos that masquerade as PC-game arcades. The game machines work essentially as slot machines: they take cash, and return jackpots in the form of gift certificates. The gift certificates are for movies, concerts, CDs or books, but because they are now so common, they are as good as cash on the black market" (Newsweek 10/30/2006).