When it comes to making policy decisions related to video gambling in Batavia, Alderman Nick Cerone finds himself teetering on the edge.

It's a dilemma of economics vs. morality, of disliking what the machines represent but understanding that some businesses benefit from their supplemental income.

And now that the use is already allowed in the city, he says, it's hard to say no to a responsible establishment seeking a license.

"That's my problem. I would love to not see this in Batavia, but I would also not like to be the one to say that these businesses can't have it," Cerone said. "This is a battle I have internally."

Cerone was joined this week by several aldermen who were conflicted over whether to place a cap on the number of video gambling licenses allowed in town. The proposal -- aimed at halting the expansion of the machines beyond the eight businesses that already have them -- received a 6-6 vote from the committee of the whole, with one alderman absent and another recused.

The ordinance will now be up for an official vote by the city council July 20.

Some officials believe setting a hard limit could hinder the attraction of new businesses, or put them at a competitive disadvantage.

Others, such as Mark Uher, said they'd prefer to move toward eventually eliminating the terminals altogether by banning new licenses. Existing establishments with gambling would be grandfathered in, he said, but their licenses would expire once the business closes or is sold.

Capping the number of licenses offers a compromise -- an extra layer of oversight that also can be amended in a pinch, Alderman Elliott Meitzler said. "To me, I think that's an important barrier to help give us the control over this," he said.

But the city council already has the power to approve or deny new licenses, Alderman Alan Wolff said. Adding a limit would do nothing more than create additional work should officials want to grant a variance to a new business that would benefit from the terminals.

"I feel like what we have works," he said.

The city's existing ordinance has been structured to deter slot machine cafes -- a primary concern for aldermen -- by requiring that establishments hold a liquor license for at least a year before they can seek a video gambling license, city Administrator Laura Newman said.

Very few businesses have undergone that process since Batavia lifted its ban in 2016, she said. The eight existing license-holders include the Batavia Overseas VFW Post 1197, Speedway, Funway and a handful of restaurants.

Last year, the city collected $80,858 in video gambling tax revenues.

The prospect of having those machines can serve as an incentive for some operators, Mayor Jeff Schielke said, noting he thinks the city should "keep some kind of door open" for increasing the number of licenses.

"By the same token, I certainly agree that we need to keep some kind of tight control over the number of these floating around," he said. "It's a mountain to climb to get a license in this town for this use."

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Batavia aldermen split on whether to cap video gambling licenses - Chicago Daily Herald