The Richmonder’s Graham Moomaw published a whopper of a story last night, detailing how Georgia-based Pace-O-Matic has used its own lawyers’ opinion to turn its machines back on. 

The company is using a back-door approach and blatantly disregarding the authority of the Virginia General Assembly and Governor Glenn Youngkin.  

Even legislative supporters of the industry must ask themselves, is it okay for an out-of-state company wanting to do business with the Commonwealth to repeatedly make a mockery of its legislative and regulatory authority? Can such a company be trusted as a good actor?

Pace has spent the last year developing a new game specifically to try to thwart Virginia law and operate while avoiding regulation and tax. The company has said repeatedly that they want to do things the right way and be regulated — unless the regulations are real. They’d rather sneak in the back door again and operate in the legal shadows. 

Virginia lawmakers should call out Pace’s action for what it is: 

A slap in the face.