About the legislation
House Bill 590 would establish a regulatory and registration scheme for skill game machines in the Commonwealth.
Senate Bill 212 Virginia Small Business Economic Development Act would direct the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to adopt emergency regulations and requires the Department of Taxation to collect a 15% monthly tax from the gross revenue of each skill game machine.
HB 590 AND SB 212 WILL BE UP FOR VOTE ON THE FLOOR NEXT WEEK. IT LOOKS LIKE LEGISLATORS ARE TRYING TO FAST TRACK THIS VOTE!
CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR!
- Virginia has passed numerous laws in the past few years protecting its most vulnerable citizens from predatory payday and car title lenders as well as landlords/slumlords who prey on renters who are the most economically vulnerable in society.
- That’s why so called skilled game that are really unregulated slot machines are illegal in Virginia today.
- But new legislation will repeal those family protection laws and authorize over 90 THOUSAND machines in public spaces everywhere, with no protections for minors, problem gamblers or other vulnerable people.
- With so many machines everywhere, it is not possible to regulate and oversee these machines like other forms of gaming in the state. Gambling machines will be ubiquitous and operate unattended for anyone to use.
- By placing these machines in places people go daily, out of state companies prey upon those that can least afford it and harm families, especially in poorer areas.
- Similar to a vending machine that takes your money without delivering a product, the public will have no way of ensuring that the machines are fair and not rigged. The companies who run these machines have repeatedly been caught violating rules in other states that have allowed them to operate.
- The machines will turn every public space into a soft target for crime and criminals making neighborhoods less safe.
- States like Illinois have seen significant increases in NEW crime, especially property and violent crime in areas where these machines are located.
- The legislation rewards bad actors. The companies pushing this legislation have been illegally operating in this state, including allowing minors to use their machines. Rather than punish them, this legislation rewards their illegal behavior and gives them amnesty by repealing protection laws and inviting the same out of state companies into every community in our state.
- These machines will benefit predatory out of state gambling companies, not Virginians. They do not create jobs or investment in communities. They just prey upon Virginians to make out of state corporations richer.
- Virginia has enough gambling already. Placing tens of thousands of unattended gambling machines in public spaces is reckless and dangerous.
- We should continue to prohibit these skill games just as we prohibit other predatory businesses.
