FOREST PARK, Ill. (AP) – A Chicago suburb that once welcomed video gambling machines now wants them out of town.
The Chicago Tribune reports that on Tuesday a majority of those who cast their ballots in Forest Park voted to prohibit video gambling machines. The vote is believed to be the first in which residents in any Illinois community where video gambling machines have been allowed have rejected them through a binding ballot question.
The machines have been source of contention in the community west of Chicago. Proponents of the machines say they have provided tens of thousands of dollars in tax revenue for the village. But opponents have countered that the machines just aren’t a good fit for the community.