Could Video Gaming Finally Be Allowed In Plainfield? Board To Decide

PLAINFIELD, IL — Video gaming will be back in front of the Plainfield Village Board during its Monday night regular meeting.

Trustees will vote on two items related to video gaming: one is an ordinance to allow it in Plainfield, and the second is a zoning text amendment that would place restrictions on the activity in the downtown area.

If approved, video gaming terminals would be permitted effective May 1, 2024, at certain establishments licensed by the village for the sale and consumption of alcohol, according to documents. The ordinance would also remove any conflicts with other existing ordinances that would prohibit gaming.

A previous draft of the ordinance required a business to have been open for 18 months prior to receiving a gaming license, but that language has since been removed.

Should the zoning text amendment be approved, many businesses in historic downtown will likely be precluded from obtaining video gaming licenses due to their proximity to churches. Instead, the amendment would allow video gaming in the B-5 area west of the DuPage River but not in the historic downtown area, documents state.

The Plan Commission held a public hearing about the amendment at its Jan. 16 meeting before unanimously voting to deny recommendation of the proposed zoning text amendment. Commissioners concluded that the historic downtown area should not be excluded and, rather, businesses that qualify under state regulations should be allowed to have video gaming terminals.

But the Board last discussed video gaming in October, when a majority of trustees were in favor of moving forward to allow it in Plainfield, with potential exemptions at downtown businesses, according to documents.

Past trustees have taken hard stances against video gaming. In 2013, all but one trustee on the Village Board decided video gaming wouldn't be welcome in Plainfield. Five years later, the topic made it back before the Board, and after a long discussion and several proposed amendments, trustees still voted 4-2 against video gaming.

The matter was brought before a new set of trustees in 2022, and they again teetered on the idea.

Past stances on video gaming in Plainfield:

• Plainfield Rejects Video Gaming Ordinance
  
• Village of Plainfield Doubles Down on Anti-Gaming Stance
  
• Plainfield Takes Another Look At Video Gaming
  
• Trustees Once Again Split On Bringing Video Gaming To Plainfield