Residents urge county to curb video‑gaming outlets; board approves some zoning variations and pulls convenience‑store items

Public comment at Wednesday’s DuPage County Board meeting focused heavily on the spread of video‑gaming terminals in unincorporated areas.

Residents from multiple homeowners associations described clusters of gaming cafés and convenience stores with machines near elementary schools, day care centers and places of assembly, and asked the board to be consistent in applying the county’s 1,000‑foot spacing rule. "Video gaming in our neighborhood does not benefit our community or the county's character. Full stop," said Glenn Nelson, a resident active in zoning hearings.

At the development committee portion of the agenda, members discussed item 12d — a requested variation to allow a video‑gaming terminal establishment within 1,000 feet of a place of assembly and a daycare. Staff clarified that the county measures the 1,000‑foot restriction property line to property line ("as the crow flies"), not door‑to‑door. Board members debated inconsistent outcomes in adjacent cases, noting one site was approved and a nearby corner was denied at the Zoning Board of Appeals.

The board approved at least one variation (Lucky Seventh Bistro) after the ZBA and development committee recommended approval, and several related cases involving convenience stores and 7‑Eleven locations were pulled for further staff investigation and for consistency checks. Member Kajewski and others asked staff to return with clear guidance about the convenience‑store situations before voting on those items.

Residents said attorneys for gaming establishments have attempted to reinterpret the ordinance and argue grandfathering or financial hardship; speakers rejected those claims as inconsistent with the county ordinance. "The ordinances are clear that video gaming variances should be denied based on the actual thousand foot rules," Glenn Nelson told the board.

The board signaled staff will continue to examine the convenience‑store items and that some petitions will return at a future meeting after further review; board members emphasized adherence to county code and consistency across decisions.

Next steps: staff will provide additional analysis on the convenience‑store cases and the county’s application of the 1,000‑foot rule before those items return for vote.