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Two Speedway gas stations have applied for video gaming licenses after the Oswego Village Board last month approved new rules to limit the number of establishments that can offer video gaming.
As part of the new rules, village trustees voted unanimously to cap the number of gaming licenses for gas stations at 11. Seven gas stations in the village currently offer video gaming.
Those that apply for gaming licenses in the next two months are grandfathered in – meaning they don’t have to be a new business to apply for a gaming license – and those with existing licenses also are grandfathered in. There currently are 29 active gaming licenses in the village and one pending license.
The village receives about $400,000-plus annually in video gaming revenue. Gaming revenue goes into the village’s general fund. Video gaming was approved in the village in May 2013.
The Speedway gas stations seeking gaming licenses are located at 1830 Route 30 and 4032 Route 34. Village trustees reviewed the plans at their March 5 Committee of the Whole meeting.
As proposed, the Speedway gas station at 4032 Route 34 would have five gaming machines and one redemption machine and the Speedway gas station at 1830 Route 30 would have six gaming machines and one redemption machine.
At both locations, Speedway would construct a gaming room with a secured door that requires a buzzer entry from the counter. A chime will go off when the door is open and closed.
The gaming rooms would be similar to the gaming area at the 7-Eleven, located at 244 E. Washington St. During the meeting, village trustee Karin McCarthy-Lange said she was not a gaming proponent.
“I’m really not in favor of it at gas stations especially,” she said. “But it was a compromise that we made so that we could kind of wrangle in the amount of licenses we have out there. I’m glad that you will be able to get your licenses since you applied before all this happened.”
Trustee Jennifer Jones Sinnott said, “If we can potentially make up the difference in what might be happening with our grocery tax, that would be appreciated.”
Gov. JB Pritzker is calling for the tax to be permanently repealed as a way to help families hit hard by increasing prices.
The Village Board is set to vote on the two proposals at its March 18 meeting.