By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON – A video gambling operator suggests their gambling machines are not the cash cows for bars and restaurants that’s being portrayed by supporters of a new gambling fee in Bloomington.
The city is looking to charge establishments for each gaming machine, after recently approving higher liquor license fees. Pete Pontius, Director of Loss and Prevention and Compliance with Bloomington-based B&B Amusements of Illinois told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin, the flat $500 fee would disproportionately hurt the smaller operators.
PODCAST: Listen to Scott’s interview with Pontius on WJBC.com.
“I’m not concerned about us,” Pontius said. “I’m not concerned about the people that are making the larger numbers. The people that are going to get hurt aren’t making a lot.”
Pontius points out the establishments get 35 percent of the profit from the machines.
Gambling machines in Bloomington made $14 million in profit last year, an average per-establishment profit of $239,000. The businesses share of that would be close to $84,000.
The machine operators also get 35 percent, the state collects 25 percent, municipalities get five percent and the company that runs the state’s central server for video gambling, Scientific Games, gets less than one percent.
Pontius suggested Bloomington is a little late to the game to try to charge a fee for video gaming machines.
“All of the municipalities that have these fees put the fee in when they opted into the state law… instead of waiting to come back to the well,” Pontius said.
Bloomington enacted its video gaming policies in 2014.
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
