The Clybourne may be set to join Firehaus Restaurant and Bar, Murphy’s Pub and Legends Bar & Grill in offering video gambling machines to customers, despite prior resistance from some members of the University community.

The Illinois Gaming Board reported Monday that 23 Champaign County locations hold licenses and 48 other locations have applications pending, including The Clybourne.

Bar owners could not be reached for comment.

The law restricts customers to betting only up to $2 in games, such as poker and blackjack, and allows each player the potential of winning up to $500 in a single try. Game manufacturers and the business receive about 70 percent of profits, the state receives 25 percent, and municipal governments receive 5 percent.

“It’s a high payback rate, and it’s designed for the entertainment value,” said Tom Fiedler, owner of Melody Gaming, the company that provides machines to Legends, Murphy’s and Firehaus. “Obviously everybody wants to win something, but it’s not there like a big casino where people can win a jackpot.”

In the time that its machines were opened in October, the IGB reported that the machines at Legends took in $23,440 from customers, and customers cashed out $22,893. The funds for the month of November are set to be released in the next few days.

The Champaign City Council voted 7-2 to allow video gambling in the community last May.

“Honestly, in these times we are never going to discount consideration of any new revenue sources,” Champaign Mayor Don Gerard said.

Gerard said that although he was aware some members of the community would be against video gambling, the council focused on trusting individuals to be responsible players when making the decision to allow the machines.

“This council is very much in the mind of putting personal responsibility on individuals, trusting people to use their best judgment, trusting businesses,” Gerard said.

Underage gambling may also be a cause for concern as gamblers must be 21 to play but only 19 to enter the bars. However, both Gerard and Fiedler said they are not worried about the risks of underage gambling.

“In this country, when you’re 18 years old, you are technically an adult,” Gerard said. “You can enlist in the Army and so forth, so I think it just comes down to personal responsibility as well as the responsibility exhibited by the owners of the businesses.”

At Legends, Murphy’s and Firehaus, the gambling area is surrounded by signs that remind customers that they must be at least 21 to use the machines.

“I don’t see it being an issue,” he said. “It’s been very strict, (and we’re) very adamant (that) you can see the signage. I wouldn’t put it in a location that had a high volume of under-21 in it without strict controls.”

After the Video Gaming Act passed in 2009, the Illinois Student Senate passed a resolution banning the machines on campus. Many senate members thought the machines would have a negative impact on the student community, according to the minutes from a December 2009 senate meeting.

John Kindt, senior editor of the U.S. International Gambling Report and emeritus professor in Business, said he urged the Champaign City Council to ban the gaming terminals at its May meeting. He said he thinks the addition of video gambling machines to the University community will be destructive to the well-being of students, and many students may become addicted.

“You can call these tuition grabbers,” Kindt said. “These machines grab tuition, and parents are going to be quite disturbed once they realize that these are in the backyard of the University.”

Debbie Liu, graduate student, said that although she doesn’t necessarily think having the machines is the best idea for a college campus, she is looking forward to playing the games.

“I think it would be something fun to do once or twice,” Liu said. “I thought it was cool to have it at a bar that we frequent all of the time.”

Emma can be reached at [email protected].