However, if the court finds skill games are illegal, the city will be positioned to take legal action to force the skill game operators to cease operations,” Eads wrote in an email to Cardinal News. The city will not violate the court’s order. Once the order is entered, I will review the order to determine how the city will move forward. “From my understanding the order to extend the injunction has not been entered yet. But the letter was drafted prior to a judge’s decision Monday to extend the injunction of the state’s ban on the machines, which allows them to continue operating for at least a few more months.Įads said that according to Virginia Code Section 18.2-325 et. 31, City Manager Randy Eads said Tuesday.
Previously, a few of the games could be found in convenience stores and truck stops, but the new storefronts are dedicated strictly to the games and appear to be mini casinos.Ĭity officials are aware of the machines and were sending out letters to the operators asking them to cease operations by Jan. As electronic “skill game” machines continue to operate unregulated and untaxed in Virginia, they have proliferated in Bristol, where at least three stores - each filled with 25 to 30 of the machines - have popped up in recent months.
