Chatham may have beaten Springfield by pulling the lever in favor of gambling devices, but aldermen in the capital city are closer to making legal video gambling a reality.
The City Council debated the video gambling ordinance Tuesday, seeming to be mostly in favor of the measure.
Aldermen debated the process of establishments getting the license from the city, details that are still being worked out by the city’s corporation council.
Not everyone is on board, though. Several area citizens addressed the council Tuesday saying that more gambling will lead to more problems like bankruptcy, addiction and even increased domestic abuse.
Others spoke out at Tuesday’s meeting saying that a non-binding referendum from nearly 20 years ago shows that the public is not behind increased gambling.
That didn’t keep aldermen from advancing the ordinance.
Aldermen will debate the video gambling ordinance further at next week’s meeting.
