Summary:
- The group is educating lawmakers on the importance of such gaming.
- The General Assembly is being urged to legalize the activity.
- Skill games will provide supplemental income.
Small business owners in Virginia are coming together to try and legalize skill games in Virginia. The Virginia Merchants and Amusement Coalition (VA MAC) would like to see the gaming option added to restaurants, bars, truck stops, and convenience stores throughout the state. The games would be a secondary source of income for smaller businesses.
Working Towards a Common Goal
The aim of the Coalition is to assist small businesses in the state by seeing skill games legally allowed in Virginia. The group is also helping law enforcement to tackle illegal gaming activities. Members of the group are taking some time to educate lawmakers on why skill games are important to smaller, local businesses.
The General Assembly is being asked to pass a bill that would regulate skill games in smaller facilities. These games would create more tax revenue for the state and bring in much-needed revenues to the smaller businesses.
According to members, the VA MAC is just the beginning of the group’s efforts to support skill game regulation. The group stands with law enforcement and wants to work on ending illegal gaming. Skill games were helpful in the past, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide revenues. The games have provided more money for business owners which has helped with the increase in goods pricing as well as higher wages during the labor shortage.
Legal Skill Games
VA MAC pointed out that skill games can provide the location partners with 40% in revenues. There are no extra fees or costs to offer such games. Another 35% goes to the local operator. Distributors in Virginia make a percentage of the gaming profit, meaning over 75% of the earnings go toward the local community. Such games have already provided hundreds of millions in revenue for the state.
The games are not regulated, though, so it has created an issue, both with legalities and the state benefiting from the games. Virginia is currently missing out on around $130 million in tax revenues annually. It could even be more in a regulated market.
The coalition pointed out that regulation would also help law enforcement identify bad actors. It would stop illegal gaming operations similar to Pennsylvania and offer a safe and secure gaming environment. Legalizing the games would be a smart for the state period. Now, it’s just getting the lawmakers on board to complete legislation so such games can take place in the state with zero issues.
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