LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — Skill games commonly found in convenience stores could soon return to Virginia under a bill headed to the governor’s desk, after lawmakers approved a plan to legalize and regulate the machines.
For years, skill games were in what many described as a gray area. After temporary approval during COVID, the machines became illegal in Virginia. Now, Senate Bill 661 would bring them back, but with new restrictions and oversight.
“Finally happening after a long, long, long battle,” said Sapan Sachdeva, owner of Bob’s Market.
The bill would legalize and regulate the machines while reducing what supporters describe as tens of thousands of illegal games statewide. It would also impose a 25 percent tax, set limits on how many machines can be in each business, and require players to be 21 or older.
“What we really want is clear regulations that are applied across the board,” said Richard Kelly, president of the Virginia Merchants and Amusement Coalition.
Supporters say clearer rules could also help law enforcement target illegal machines.
“It gives them a firm understanding of what the rules are, and then they can come in and say yes or no, and then move forward with an enforcement. When you don’t have a good set of rules for the police and the people who are there trying to enforce it, then it’s a problem,” Kelly said.
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Not everyone supported the legislation. State Sen. Mark Peake, R-District 8, voted against the bill. “We’re getting so far afield from what a state should be sanctioning, all of these methods of gambling now, we’ve seen kids getting involved in gambling,” he said.
He said it is very addictive, and he is against how accessible gambling is becoming for Virginians. “They’re taking it from our citizens, that’s how they are making money,” Peake said.
Still, Peake said if skill games are going to be legal, he is glad they would be regulated under the bill.
When he was asked if there were enough regulations under this bill, he said, “I guess they’re fine, at least they’re cutting the number of machines, they’re cutting the number of machines in places, and I think it will do away with these storefronts that were really just many casinos full of slot machines.”
For some local store owners, the revenue is a significant factor.
“Every dollar, every penny counts, and it increases the bottom line,” Sachdeva said.
Supporters of skill games said they would prefer a tax structure to the current situation, and they are now waiting to see whether the governor signs Senate Bill 661.