The debate over skill games is moving from the committee room to the courtroom.
Virginia is named for a Queen of England, the virgin Queen Elizabeth I. Now, the Queen of Virginia is suing the Attorney General and the Henrico prosecutor. That’s because the skill game company that goes by that name, Queen of Virginia, is trying to stop the Republican Attorney General from conducting an investigation, and also prevent the Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney from enforcing a ban on skill games.
“It’s very difficult to ask a judge to enter an order of that sort because the Attorney General and the Commonwealth’s Attorney are authorized to undertake investigations into whether there may be violations of state law," says Carl Tobias at the University of Richmond Law Schoo. "And so, that would be extraordinary relief to be granted.”
Even if this lawsuit is unsuccessful in court, it could be a very profitable stalling tactic says Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg, a Democrat who represents the Henrico district where a Buffalo Wild Wings franchise is working with Queen of Virginia on the lawsuit.
“If the law is not being enforced, these machines continue to make profit," the senator says. "And so, I think they’re making the calculus that every day that they can keep a machine in Virginia is a day they’re making money. I think it’s cynical.”
Win or lose in court, the legality of these devices that resemble slot machines is expected to be one of the most contentious issues in the upcoming session of the General Assembly.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
