Village Board Discusses Reducing Waiting Period for Video Gaming in Downtown TIF District

Tuesday night’s most engaged discussion at the Oswego Village Board meeting came under new business, which was amending an ordinance for a video gaming license for Nash Vegas Saloon in downtown Oswego.

In 2024, the village board approved a code amendment where businesses had a one-year waiting period before they could add gaming in their facilities. The owner for Nash Vegas would like that to be reconsidered.

At the beginning of the discussion, the board was asked to reconsider the one-year requirement for gaming businesses in the downtown TIF district. The board was presented with two options. 1) Approve the ordinance as is or 2) direct staff to bring back code amendment to the April 8th board meeting which would reduce the one-year waiting period.

“Our fighting chances need to be improved by having gaming,” said Nash Vegas owner Yonas Lagos. “I understand you guys passed an ordinance saying you need to wait for a year. But right now, we need all the help we can get. It’s rough out there.”

Trustee Tom Guist said, “I have no problem with either of the recommendations. I’d be in favor of eliminating it [the waiting period]. I’d be for reducing it.”

Trustee Kit Kuhrt said, “we went after gaming and such that was the signage. That [gaming] helps the restaurants. And the food industry is not doing well these days. I think anything we can do to help them, especially in our TIF district. Making an exception in the TIF district is probably what we should be doing right now.”

“If you guys aren’t willing to bend on making it for the TIF district for the restuarants, at least drop it to six months in the TIF,” Kuhrt continued.

Karin McCarthy-Lange said, “I’m very frustrated that this is coming up again after we spent one, two, three, four different meetings discussing this and coming up with a compromise that worked for everyone, and now we’re back here discussing it again. I’m in favor of Jonas [Nash Vegas owner] getting his license in August. But I am not in favor of changing our ordinances as they stand.”

Trustee Jennifer Jones Sinnott asked for a report that showed the village brought in roughly $605,000 in gaming revenue.

“We’re not saying they can’t have them,” said trustee Karen Novy. “We’re just saying they have a year wait. That’s all.”

Guist said that in February 2024, the ordinance was agreed upon. “Since that time, our downtown area is not significantly better than it was. It’s okay for us to reconsider something after 13 months.”

After much discussion, Novy and McCarthy-Lange said that they did not want to change the ordinance, while Guist, Kuhrt and Jones Sinnott were open to changing the ordinance.

On the first motion of granting Nash Vegas a gaming license on August 2, 2025, or passing the ordinance as it is presented, the motion did not pass with trustee Andrew Torres, Novy and McCarthy-Lange voting for the motion. Kurht, Jones Sinnott, Guist, and president Ryan Kauffman voted against the motion.

On the second motion of directing staff to bring back a text amendment on April 8th to reduce the one-year waiting period to six months for downtown Oswego ancillary and non-profit establishments, the motion passed with Jones Sinnott, Guist, Kuhrt and Kauffman voting for the motion, and McCarthy-Lange, Novy and Torres voting against the motion.

The discussion will continue and a vote may be taken at the Tuesday, April 8th meeting.

To watch this portion of the village board meeting, click here and go to the 30-minute mark.

Video of the first motion granting Nash Vegas a gaming license on August 2, 2025, or passing the ordinance as it is presented. (courtesy Village of Oswego)