Virginia Continues Fight To Control Unregulated Skill Games

• Virginia lawmakers are looking to crack down on illegal slot machines that have been operating falsely under “game of skill” laws.
• These “grey machines” could now be subject to a new bill that would give local governments the power to shut down operators who are out of compliance.

RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia lawmakers are making efforts to crack down on the state’s nearly 15,000 illegal slot machines.

These machines, which operate under false pretenses as “games of skill” have been in operation for years and finally received some sort of legal attention last year.

Known as “grey machines” due to them operating within the grey area of the law, these machines are found throughout the state in venues like bars, restaurants, gas stations, convenience stores, marinas, and various other locations.

Despite their popularity, they are simply not as easy to control as some form of legal casino betting or sports betting.

Lawmakers in VA decided enough was enough for these machines and made efforts to remove them from venues across the state. Giving operators the benefit of the doubt, Virginia instituted a reprieve for the machines.

The reprieve would allow the machines to stay in operation for one year implying they were registered with the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, and that the operators paid a $1,200 monthly tax per machine in operation.

Since the activation of the reprieve, the state of Virginia has collected an estimated $70 million in revenue from the machines.

Now, there is a greater issue at hand, as the Virginia ABC committee is unable to keep up with the required enforcement of rules regarding these machines.

“Virginia ABC is saying ‘We can’t (keep up), they’ve proliferated so much, we don’t have the resources and the ability to go after all of them.’ These [gaming] manufacturers shove these things out there. They go to a mom-and-pop store and say, ‘Hey put this in. At the end of the month. You don’t have to do anything but give us power and internet,” said Senator Bryce Reeves of Virginia.

There are four types of legal gambling currently allowed in Virginia: Casino and sports betting, horse racing betting, skill gaming, and charitable gaming.

Each type is controlled by a different department of the state government.

It is likely that these grey machines are on their way out in Virginia due to a bill looking to keep them active failing to receive enough attention at the state House level.

Now, Virginia law enforcement will have an even bigger task in removing these machines from circulation.