UPDATE ON VIDEO GAMING FOR COUNCIL 427

By:  Paul Sullivan, President Board of Directors

Update - April 24, 2013 - Currently in House Executive Committee

Update - April 11, 2013 - Passed in Senate 43-11.  Referred to House Rules Committee

Update - March 15th 2013 - Senate Bill 2371 has been approved in the Executive Committee.  It goes back to the Senate to be placed on second reading.  It will be voted on once it is called for third reading.

 With the legalization of video gaming for Fraternal Organizations and Bars in the State of Illinois, our organization made application late last summer for a license to have machines at our location.

Under the current by-laws of the National Knights of Columbus, local Councils may not own buildings or hold liquor licenses.  As a result, the Spalding Council 427 bar and banquet hall is operated as a separate corporation “The Third Degree Club”.  The Building is owned by yet another Corporation, “Knights Building Corporation”.  The owners (stockholders) of these Corporations are the members of Council 427 Knights of Columbus.

The application for the gaming license was made by “The Third Degree Club”.  Our application has officially been denied. 

Under current Illinois Gaming Law, our Third Degree Club is considered a social club because the stockholders are not specific individuals but rather members of a club.  We were advised to reapply as a Fraternal Organization “Knights of Columbus Council 427”.  To meet the requirements of the Illinois Gaming Law, the liquor license would have to be held in the name of the Council; not the Third Degree Club.  Because this is prohibited by Supreme Knights of Columbus, we cannot qualify.

Every Knights of Columbus Council in the State of Illinois is in the same position unless their bar operations are owned by an independent non member owned corporation.  Until the Legislature enacts legislation to allow social clubs such as ours to participate in video gaming, we cannot qualify.