A bill calling for the regulation of skill games has been a hot topic in the Virginia General Assembly. And Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently added a large number of amendments to the bill.
Del. Eric Phillips, of Henry County, discussed the bill and how it would affect local establishments like Rosie’s Game Room.
The bill aims to heavily regulate the way skill games operate in the state of Virginia, which has caused a divide between businesses that profit from the games and community members who believe gaming is harmful due to gambling risks.
Part of Youngkin’s amendments to the bill would stop skill games from locating within 35 miles of each other. A conflict of interest for the Martinsville Henry County area since Caesars Virginia in Danville, is only 30.8 miles driving distance from a local gaming facility.
“It does have a 35-mile radius for any casino, which means that you pretty much wouldn’t see them in my district at all because they’re all 35 miles from a casino or a Rosies,” Phillips of the 48th District, which includes portions of Pittsylvania and Henry counties and the city of Martinsville, said.
“There are other things in the bill that say you can’t have them in so many feet of a church, school, or daycare center,” Phillips said, adding that the amended bill would all but ban skill games in the area due to the heavy restrictions.
“It’s an issue I have heard about from constituents both for and against it more than almost any other issue,” he said, noting there were originally two versions of the bill – a House version and a Senate version.
The House version, HB 590, would limit the number of machines placed in a convenience store and require large yellow stickers to notify law enforcement that the skill machines were regulated. The games would be highly taxed, with the proceeds earmarked for local law enforcement. The bill also focused on safeguards on ensuring that gamblers were 21 years old or older, and restricting skill game hours.
The Senate version, SB 212, was less restrictive, and both versions passed. In the following conference, both bills were merged, but the senate bill language took up the majority of the new bill, Phillips said.
“I voted against that bill on the final passage because it had very little regulations and little money for the police departments to be able to regulate it,” Phillips said, adding that he could have supported the House version.
“We already have the lottery, which is gambling, and then we have casinos, which is gambling, and then we have Rosie’s, which is gambling,” he said. “So, we are basically saying it’s ok to gamble as long as you’re not a small local businessman.”
Negotiations on the bill are still ongoing.
Phillips was also involved in the current legislation regarding the City of Martinsville’s proposed reversion to a town. The process to revert was started in 2019, and legislation was drafted to require a referendum of the city’s residents to enact reversion.
“I think that folks knew that a referendum wouldn’t pass at that time, so that’s why you didn’t see it,” Phillips said.
The current law to require a referendum was to sunset in 2026, making it null and void, but Phillip’s proposal removed the sunset provision and added it to the city charter in case they want to revisit reversion in the future.
“It removed the expiration date of the sunset period, it made it a permanent thing, and it codified it in their charter,” he said.
The Martinsville City Council asked Phillips to sponsor the legislation, which was later passed by council before asking him to carry it on behalf of the city.
“The last time reversion came up, almost $2 million was wasted just in legal fees,” Phillips said, adding his legislation eliminates repeat costs. If citizens vote for the referendum, then the reversion will take place.
Currently, the city is not looking to pursue reversion.
