Convenience stores across Virginia shut their doors for an hour Tuesday in a protest aimed at asking the General Assembly to reject Gov. Glenn Youngkin‘s proposal to toughen a bill that would legalize electronic skill games.
It was the second day in a row of store owner protests; on Monday, more than 500 declined to sell Lottery tickets.
Skill games are the slot-machine-like electronic gaming devices that the General Assembly banned in 2020. A Greensville County judge barred the state from enforcing the ban but the Virginia Supreme Court reinstated the ban late last year.
“We have to fight back,” said Zahid Hussain, owner of the Halifax Exxon, on U.S. 301 in South Richmond. He had eight machines before the Supreme Court’s order last year.
“If out of state casinos can operate, what’s wrong with skill games? Skill games are games, not gambling,” Hussain said.
Convenience store owners say skill game revenue keeps many of them in business.
Tuesday’s closings were meant to show the economic impact of the store closing they say would come if Youngkin’s amendments become law.
Hussain, who has owned the 50-year-old store since 2016, said he expects he could survive but without skill games many stores, especially minority-owned small businesses would not.
“When [Youngkin] campaigned he said he was for small business,” Hussain said.
Youngkin’s amendments would boost taxes on the machines, dramatically raise the licensing fees stores and truck stops pay and cut the number of machines they can install.
The governor also is proposing strict geographic limitations that would bar the machines within 35 miles of other gaming sites, such as casinos, Rosie’s gaming emporiums or horse tracks.
The machines also could not be within 2,500 feet of a school or a house of worship.
The amendments also say the games have to pay out at least 80% of the money people wager and that the money stores and truck stops get from their skill games would not be allowed to exceed 20% of their total gross revenue.
In addition, the amendments say that cities and counties can adopt ordinances or hold a referendum on banning the machines.
“The governor supports small business owners having access to skill games,” press secretary Christian Martinez said.
Martinez said Youngkin’s proposed legislative amendments came after discussions with a bipartisan group of legislators as well as outside stakeholders and “would establish an important regulatory framework, enhance consumer and public safety protections, and grant localities and Virginians a voice.”
The Lottery said it was aware of Monday’s sales halt, adding that it “works with each individual retailer as to what works best for them, and we make it a practice not to tell retailers how to run their business.”
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“We have to fight back,” said Zahid Hussain, owner of the Halifax Exxon, on U.S. 301 in South Richmond. He had eight machines before the state Supreme Court’s order last year.