Governor Glenn Youngkin confirmed he will “work with legislators” to achieve compromise legislation addressing controversial skill games machines.
The Virginia Senate tossed Youngkin’s version of the bill, with just six senators voting in favor and 34 voting against. Youngkin’s amended bill sought to place strict restrictions on legislation that originally would have allowed skill games in convenience stores throughout the commonwealth.
Proponents argue skill games help small businesses and are distinct from gambling because the outcome is dependent on skill in addition to luck, while opponents warn they are analogous to slot machines and exploit gambling addicts who could encounter the machines despite avoiding casinos.
Youngkin reportedly made the remarks to members of the media on Thursday after signing unrelated legislation.
The governor acknowledged “unintended consequences” of his amendments to the skill games bill that created a 2,500-foot exclusion zone for skill games around churches and convenience stores, conceding the ramifications of his change “are real and we can address that.”
Youngkin also noted he is willing to compromise on his effort to ban skill games from within 35 miles of casinos, reportedly conceding, “I can work with legislators to address both of those” issues.
However, the governor’s Thursday statements stand in contrast to remarks by his office to The Virginia Mercury on Wednesday, when Youngkin’s spokesman confirmed, “The governor’s concerns with the bill remain and his amendments addressed those concerns.”
An advocacy group that has urged Youngkin to veto the version of the legislation put forward by the assembly called it “bad policy that would bring an unprecedented expansion of gambling to every corner of Virginia without even attempting to provide basic guardrails including local referendums, legitimate background checks, security or problem gambling regulatory requirements.”
John Fredericks, the publisher of The Virginia Star, previously suggested Youngkin could face future political ramifications if he signs the version of the bill put forward by lawmakers.
“How do you go to Iowa in 2028 and you signed a bill that allowed gambling, unregulated, unsupervised, no security, preying on the children and the unprivileged, on every single neighborhood in Virginia?” Fredericks said, suggesting skill games could harm a hypothetical presidential bid for the governor. Fredericks explained, “I think if he doesn’t veto this, it’s an Iowa presidential killer for Glenn Youngkin.”
Youngkin recently issued a joint statement with Democratic leaders in the General Assembly to announce a May special session to finalize the Virginia budget.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Gov. Glenn Younkin” by Gov Glenn Youngkin.
