Council approves liquor license for Goldmine Gaming despite concern over 60/40 revenue rule

Springfield City Council approved an ordinance on June 2 to add one Class A liquor license for Old-Fashioned Inc., doing business as Goldmine Gaming, at 3126 South Sixth Street.

The vote followed a short debate over the city’s "60/40" rule that requires establishments to derive at least 60% of revenues from non-gaming activities. Alderman Donlin said he asked for the item to be debated because some new establishments can operate for two years before the city’s rotating audit verifies compliance. "I just wanna hear ... that the owners understand the rules we have in place and just hear about how they're going to meet them," Donlin said.

Alderman Hanauer said the current audit schedule leaves too long a window before enforcement and suggested shortening the audit cycle so new licensees are checked sooner. "I just think we gotta shorten that," Hanauer said, arguing some operators can use successive start-ups to delay review.

Corporation counsel explained the 60/40 requirement appears in section 90.24 of the municipal code and is triggered at renewal because the ordinance requires one year of revenues before an audit can calculate compliance. Mr. Hamilton, representing Old-Fashioned Inc., told the council the applicant is aware of the requirement and "is going into this business with every intention of complying." He added that if the business cannot meet the rule it would not be able to remain in operation.

The council placed the ordinance on final passage and the clerk recorded the vote as nine voting yes; Alderwoman Purchase did not take a vote. The motion was announced as passing with nine yes votes and one member not voting.

Why it matters: the 60/40 rule is the city’s mechanism to limit establishments that rely primarily on gaming; aldermen expressed interest in tightening administrative review to ensure early compliance when new gaming-adjacent businesses open.

The ordinance, as approved, increases the number of Class A liquor licenses by one for the location named in the ordinance. The council did not adopt code changes to move the compliance review to initial licensing during this session. The record notes there may be follow-up discussions about shortening audit windows and possible code revisions.