MURPHYSBORO, IL (WSIL) - The video gaming industry is a nine-figure-a-year industry in Illinois. In fact � it’s estimated the state collected more than 760 million dollars off video gaming in 2022.
“That’s the reason why any of the communities adopt video gaming is for the money,� said Murphysboro Mayor Will Stephens. “The only benefit really is the money.�
Like others, Murphysboro has opened itself up to video gaming, but it’s trying to find ways to regulate it to fit the needs of the town.
“It’s a question of, ‘how many slices do you want to divide the pie into?’� asked Stephens. “Because it’s not like people are going to drive from Carterville to go to the video gaming café in Murphysboro.�
A few weeks back, Mayor Stephens posted on his social media inquiring about expanding licenses throughout town.
“When I made the Facebook post I was mostly trying to see if I had any blind spots in my thinking,� he said.
“The gist of the post was, I’m getting all these license requests, what does the community think? People were like, I think we’ve got all that we want,� said Stephens.
To get a gaming license, the state requires a Class A liquor license from the city. However, a city ordinance prohibits certain types of businesses from applying for a liquor license, which halts their attempts at a gaming license.
“There’s a law of diminishing returns,� said Stephens. “You could add another 50 video gaming parlors to Murphysboro but you’re not going to significantly increase the amount of money the city’s taking in.
Stephens says one business is considering taking out its gas tanks to comply with the ordinance while another recently inquired about taking out its pharmacy in order to add video gaming.
“Is that something we want to see? Do we want to see video gaming in the grocery store? Do we want to see someone who’s selling just insurance,� said Stephens, “like an insurance office? There’s really no end to the number of businesses that could apply, and so where is that line?�
