DON’T BE FOOLED: STRONG MAJORITY OF VIRGINIANS STILL OPPOSE “SKILL” GAMES

Less than three weeks after the American Gaming Association released data showing Virginians’ strong opposition to legalizing so-called “skill” games, the Virginia Merchants and Amusement Coalition responded with its own “poll.”

The data was designed and worded in ways that artificially inflate support for the industry’s position, and the release intentionally leaves out key details.

Despite those tactics, the one-sided poll only demonstrated a meager “plurality” of support after respondents heard favorable messaging. It makes you wonder why they even released numbers like these…

Hart Research’s own memo shows that support for “skill” game legalization was just 36 percent when voters were asked a neutral question. It only climbed to 48 percent after pollsters shared a “brief factual description”, essentially, a prewritten sales pitch from the “skill” industry.

On the other hand, the American Gaming Association’s poll found that opposition to “skill” games is at an all-time high, with 67 percent of Virginia voters reporting opposition to the devices, and 41 percent reporting strong opposition. After being read a neutral description of the devices, this opposition was broad and bipartisan, with 67 percent of Democrats, 71 percent of independents, and 65 percent of Republicans all agreeing.

The “Economic Benefit” Claims Are Unverified.

The poll’s headline figure, that legalization would generate “$150 million in new tax revenue”, has no independent source or methodology. This is phantom money based on fantasy math.

Just as importantly, this kind of gambling revenue is predatory. Research by Mangum Economics found “the lower the household income, the higher the concentration of [skill] machines” you’ll find in a community.

Freedom Virginia calls these machines “a de facto regressive tax,” while proponents of these devices think education funding gaps should be patched by draining cash from neighborhoods that can least afford it.

And notably, voters aren’t convinced that economics are enough to legalize them. In the AGA poll, “62% [of voters] say they’d vote for a candidate who opposes skill game legalization…regardless of whether the justification for opposition is based on economic or social reasons.”

The “Small Business Support” Narrative Is Misleading.

The survey says 59 percent of respondents support “skill” games because they’re “operated by Virginia small businesses that earn the majority of the revenue.” Pace-O-Matic and other operators have never released receipts or contracts to prove this.

And money spent on these machines is not new economic activity; it’s money diverted from local retail and family spending. Out-of-state tourists aren’t driving into town to play neighborhood slots.

Saying “skill” games support small businesses is like calling predatory payday loans financial empowerment.

These Machines Don’t Help Small Businesses — They Redefine Them.

And lastly, it’s important to remember that putting slot machines in businesses built on food, fuel, and community turns them now into mini casinos, with their revenue dependent on addictive play. That’s not support for local enterprise, that’s a predatory model targeting small business owners as fronts for gaming operators.

These companies position small business owners as partners, but turn around and use them as legal shields and storefronts, and bring crime to their doorstep: Virginia Skill Game Player Goes Berserk After Losing.