Virginia Beach, VA – Former Pro Bowl Linebacker and College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 inductee LaVar Arrington today drew attention to the positive economic impact of skill gaming in Virginia. Arrington made his comments following the on-site broadcast of his national Up On Game show and podcast at the AJ Gators Sports Bar location in Virginia Beach. His co-hosts are former NFL stars TJ Houshmandzadeh and Plaxico Burress.
Following the broadcast, Arrington met with the media and held a fan meet-and-greet.
“Small businesses are engrained into the fabric of our communities and many are struggling due to hardships resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Arrington. “From supply chain problems, higher prices and struggles finding employees, running a small business is harder today than ever. Fortunately, Pace-O-Matic’s skill games have provided a much-needed revenue source and lifeline to these businesses. I am proud to be working with a company that not only supports small businesses, but also is advocating strongly for increased taxes and regulation. They conduct business the right way and are committed to having a longstanding relationship with their small business partners and the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
Arrington has already conducted stops in Richmond to draw attention to the legal skill game issue. He will continue in the weeks ahead in Emporia and Northern Virginia.
The revenue from skill games has been critical to small businesses, including bars, restaurants, truck stops and convenience stores. This revenue means businesses can hire more employees, increase wages, offer health benefits, make critical improvements to their locations and support charitable organizations in their communities.
While we recognize there is litigation regarding legislation related to skill games, Pace-O-Matic, which powers legal skill games, openly supports the regulation and taxation of the skill game industry and encourages legislation that implements strong enforcement of the industry.
Currently, thousands of illegal VGTs are in the market masquerading as skill games. When skill games were regulated by the Virginia ABC and additional taxes were applied, the industry delivered nearly $140 million in annual tax revenue to the Commonwealth in Fiscal Year 2020-2021.
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