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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 7, 2024 10:12 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative George Dunbar |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Skill Games Legislation |
| In the near future I plan on introducing legislation to finally regulate and tax the skill game industry. Unregulated skill games have been proliferating in our bars, clubs, convenience stores and multiple other locations for years with no state oversight or consumer protections in place. A recent American Gaming Association report estimated that there were approximately 67,000 of these machines across the commonwealth. My legislation will have these games follow the same regulations and tax rates as VGT’s which we presently allow in truck stops. It will limit the location and amount of these machines to 50,000 statewide and 5 per establishment. In addition, consumer protections for problem gambling, underage gambling and payback percentages will be instituted like those in place for truck stop VGT’s. Both VGT’s and skill games will be treated equally, and both could be located in bars, taverns, clubs, and truck stops that meet requirements. My legislation is not an expansion of gaming but a reduction. Unregulated games will be replaced by fewer regulated ones. But in so doing will provide for security and consumer protections all while generating revenue for the commonwealth which we are presently missing out on. Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation. |
Introduced as HB2042