\n Posted on: April 11, 2026, 10:04h.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
\n Last updated on: April 11, 2026, 10:04h.\n <\/p>\n
![\"Avatar](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-4-1-50x50.png\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nVirginia Governor Abigail Spanberger (D) has made it abundantly clear that she won\u2019t sign legislation authorizing additional gambling in the commonwealth unless lawmakers first approve and allocate funding for the creation of an independent gaming regulatory commission.<\/span><\/p>\n A day after Spanberger vetoed a bill to qualify Fairfax County<\/a> for a commercial casino, the governor, whose approval numbers in her first months in office are lower than her eight predecessors, trashed a measure to restore the regulatory framework for skill games.<\/span><\/p>\n Spanberger explained<\/a> that Virginia needs a dedicated gaming regulation board to monitor the commonwealth\u2019s recent embrace of gambling.<\/span><\/p>\n The absence of a centralized regulatory authority for gaming creates gaps in oversight that threaten the Commonwealth of Virginia\u2019s ability to provide consistent enforcement, prevent illicit activity, and protect all consumers. Right now, legalizing skill gaming and introducing more of these machines into our communities would strain an already fragmented system,\u201d Spanberger said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The slot-like machines were temporarily legalized in Virginia during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide small businesses with additional revenue. They became illegal in 2021, though legal challenges kept the games running until October 2023.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Proponents of skill games say the machines helped many small businesses remain profitable during the pandemic. The advocates said the added income also kept employees employed in the pandemic\u2019s aftermath, as business owners offset high inflation with the gaming dollars.<\/span><\/p>\n Skill games resemble slot machines but include skill-based contests that allow the player to alter the game\u2019s payout rate. The skill game lobby alleged in state court that the games are not gambling games. In October 2023, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the General Assembly had the legal authority to ban the games after temporarily legalizing them.<\/span><\/p>\n Lawmakers have since sought to relegalize skill games. Gov. Glenn Youngkin proposed heavy amendments to a skill game bill in 2024, resulting in the legislation being canned by the General Assembly. The legislature got behind Senate Bill 661\/House Bill 1272<\/a> this year, with the thinking that a Democratic governor would be willing to allow skill games.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Spanberger didn\u2019t openly object to skill games, but the lack of an appropriate state agency to take on the governing responsibilities. Since 2020, Virginia lawmakers have signed off on casinos in five locales, as well as retail and mobile sports betting. Those regulatory powers have been assigned to the Virginia Lottery Board.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe rapid expansion of gaming in Virginia over the last decade has outpaced the Commonwealth\u2019s ability to provide consistent enforcement, robust public safety oversight, and meaningful assessments of the potential impacts or harms of gaming in all its forms,\u201d Spanberger explained.<\/span><\/p>\n Spanberger also cited claims that during Virginia\u2019s temporary allowance of skill games, operators targeted communities where higher percentages of the population live below the poverty line, as well as neighborhoods with lower education rates and where more Blacks and Hispanics live.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe data clearly show that devices were disproportionately located,\u201d Spanberger said. \u201cI remain committed to working with the General Assembly to ensure that any future approach to gaming expansion prioritizes consumer protection, public safety, public health, and the economic and social well-being of all our communities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Virginia](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/G_EbbcWWMAAHa5D-858x572.jpg\")
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Skill Games on Hold<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
Skill Games Targeted Poverty<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n