In Kewanee, 43 businesses hold liquor licenses.
Twenty-four of them have gaming machines.
Is that too much gambling opportunity for a city the size of Kewanee?
The City Council didn’t come up with a definitive answer to that question during a discussion at Monday’s meeting.
Mayor Gary Moore said the state regulates the gaming business, and there’s not much the city can do to control it.
The city can regulate the liquor licenses available in the city, Moore said, and that could be a way to exercise some control over the number of places to gamble in Kewanee.
City Attorney Justin Raver suggested that there is another way the city can control gaming: Zoning.
Raver said the council could create a downtown zoning district, and limit the number of gaming establishments in it.
Since there are 43 liquor licenses, City Clerk Kasey Michell said, seven licenses are available.
Under state law, a business must hold a city liquor license before they can have the machines. State law also limits the number of gaming machines in any bar, restaurant or gaming parlor to six.
All but four of the businesses with the machines in Kewanee have all six.
Eight of the businesses which hold liquor licenses are classified as “gaming parlors” — places where the gaming machines are the primary focus, but which serve alcohol, as state law requires.
Of the 13 bars with liquor licenses, only one — the Chrome Gypsy Compound in the former Franklin School building — doesn’t have the machines.
Three of Kewanee’s five restaurants with liquor licenses have the machines, and none of the stores that sell package liquor do.
Mayor Gary Moore said the council could focus its attention on businesses that sell liquor by the drink, and limit the number of those licenses the city allows. The gaming parlors would be included in that category.
On the one hand, as Councilman Chris Colomer said, the council doesn’t want downtown Kewanee “looking like Las Vegas.” On the other hand, as Councilman Mike Komnick said, the council also doesn’t want to interfere needlessly with free enterprise.
Ken Westefer, owner of Chevy’s on West Fourth Street, pointed out that there is a limited amount of money that will be gambled in Kewanee. Adding more businesses with gaming machines will only lessen the income for the others, he said.
“Is it getting saturated? Yes,” Westefer said.
One member of the audience, Elsie Peed, urged the council to keep in mind that gambling can be a problem for some people, and can ruin their lives.
Whatever the council might do about gaming, Moore said the city’s liquor ordinance is outdated, and “needs to be rewritten.”
