What's on the table: Options under consideration include caps on the total number of gaming licenses, minimum distances from churches and schools, penalties for repeat violations of underage gaming or drinking, and updated licensing fees. No specific restrictions have been approved; options are just being drafted.

A focus on downtown: With eight of Batavia's 13 video gaming license holders in the downtown area, several officials pointed to that concentration as a primary concern. Some cited the city's strategic goal of building a more vibrant downtown and argued that gaming establishments work against that vision. One alderperson brought up Geneva as a comparison, which does not allow video gaming.

Church and school setbacks: The state's existing 100-foot buffer between gaming locations and churches or schools is measured from building to building (not property line to property line), a factor that played into a gaming approval last December at Gammon Coach House. Several alderpersons said they want Batavia to set its own standard and map it explicitly, removing the ambiguity.

The public safety argument: A meeting memo noted that Illinois recorded 470 gaming-related smash-and-grab burglaries in 2025, resulting in $2.7 million in losses statewide.