Leaves are still waiting to be raked this last week that my Village of Lakewood picks them up, so I won’t be in Woodstock for the McHenry County Board meeting vote on video slot machines.

Little casino next to Wisconsin's Happy Trails Restaurant

Proponents, of course, will describe the devices as video poker machines.

With all the poker tournaments on TV, it sounds more like a game of skill, rather than a carefully devised program to induce one to gamble more and more.

In any event, only the final vote counts.

If you want my prediction, it’s that the resolution which would ban video slot machines in unincorporated areas will fail.

That, even though a Chicago Tribune poll showed suburban residents in opposition.

After all, all three Republican state legislators—State Senator Pam Althoff, State Representative Mike Tryon and State Representative Mark Beaubien—voted for this massive expansion of gambling.

Tryon has been particularly active in promoting approval of video slot machines, but Althoff also made a pitch for approval at last month’s county board meeting when a resolution. (Articles about that meeting: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.)

McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler, a close ally of Tryon, has consistently supported the gambling devices.