Officials Likely To Approve Casino Anti-Trespassing Ordinance

In light of the recent opening of and at the suggestion of the Illinois Gaming Board, police officials want to enact an ordinance that will deter underage and banned visitors from coming to the new facility.

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A new ordinance, which will likely be approved by city officials, will prohibit underage visitors from entering the casino. If they are found, or caught entering with a fake ID, they can be arrested. The ordinance states that visitors under the age of 21 will be prohibited on casino grounds.

“This is a security measure to prevent people (who shouldn’t be there) from coming in,” said Des Plaines Police Chief Jim Prandini.

The law’s language is copied from an ordinance in Joliet, another local town with a casino. Prandini said that this measure will prevent the problem before it gets out of hand. So far, there have been about 15 situations in which underage or banned visitors had to be expelled from Rivers Casino, Prandini said.

Security officials at the casino manage fraud and gambling-related investigations, while Des Plaines police and fire respond to other crime and emergency situations, Prandini said. He added that casinos have a list of banned visitors -- patrons who had gotten into "gambling related trouble."

Some residents expressed concern that the city will have to pay for crime-related costs at the casino.

Brian Burkross, a Des Plaines resident, said he thought council members should consider a measure that would financially protect Des Plaines in the case of a big emergency or crime situation at Rivers Casino. 

Prandini said that the casino has led to a “very limited drain on our staffing” and that there have not been additional overtime or staffing costs.

Des Plaines police officers do not patrol the casino premises, Prandini said.

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