Lawmakers in the state will think about skill games legislation

Richmond, Virginia – On Tuesday, the Virginia Senate members will be coming back to Richmond. Controversial modifications to a scheme that assists certain military families in covering the cost of higher education are being reviewed. However, there are more things on the schedule.

Two bills that would allow skill games to function lawfully in the Commonwealth once more have also been introduced by lawmakers.

Convenience store, truck stop, and other small business owners in Virginia claim that skill games helped them survive hard times, and they have been advocating for laws that would legalize, regulate, and tax these devices.

This year, the General Assembly passed legislation pertaining to skill games, but Governor Youngkin ultimately vetoed the measure. Although they were unable to come to an agreement at the May budget session, the governor and the bill’s proponents promised to keep discussing. Supporters are now addressing the matter once more.

Legislation being sponsored by Democratic Senators Louise Lucas and Aaron Rouse is supposed to solve a lot of the governor’s issues.

“We heard from the governor loud and clear about the concerns that he had concerning lottery, making sure that is the authority, making sure we have a centralized accounting system so that all of the revenue that’s generated from skill games are accounted for, making sure that there’s a local component to where localities have the option to opt-out to whether or not they allow skill games inside their community,” Rouse said.

Numerous concerns raised by the governor are also addressed in another bill that Republican Sen. Christie New Craig introduced. Additionally, it partially concentrates on stricter enforcement to get rid of illicit video games.

Sen. Bill Stanley of Franklin County, who collaborated with Sen. New Craig on the proposal, stated that addressing illicit gaming is an essential element.

“If we do nothing, then these games continue to proliferate, they continue to take advantage of the consumer, and we lose valuable tax revenues, so we need to do something because doing nothing absolutely allows these illegal games to continue,” Stanley said.

Lawmakers claimed that their bills may increase state revenue by hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Family Foundation and Virginians Against Neighborhood Slot Machines are two organizations that are against skill games in general.

The major unanswered question is Governor Youngkin’s present position on the matter and whether or not proponents of skill games have made sufficient efforts to create a solution that he would be prepared to accept.

Christian Martinez, the press secretary, issued the following statement on Monday afternoon, according to the governor’s office:

“Governor Youngkin has been clear that he will not consider any other legislation until the General Assembly has done the right thing for our military heroes, first responders and their families by fully repealing and reversing the VMSDEP (Virginia Military Survivors & Dependents Education Program) waiver changes. The Governor made his position on skill games legislation clear in his amendments and has indicated a willingness to continue the discussion, but only after the VMSDEP issue has been resolved.”