An effort by a Virginia lawmaker to change the way poker is interpreted under state laws has been approved by a Senate Committee earlier this week. A long-standing gambling expansion proponent, Sen. Louise Lucas initiated her latest bills on the matter last week.
In SB 1400, Sen. Lucas has stated that poker should be considered a game of skill and thus be legalized within the state’s borders. Here it is important to note that the proposed legislation is only concerned with live poker. Virginia residents are prohibited from playing games of chance under existing law.
Sen. Lucas’ poker bill passed a much-needed vote by the Senate General Laws Committee. Eight committee members voted ‘yes’ to the proposed legislation while seven of them voted negatively. SB 1400 will now be sent back to the Senate where it will have to pass three readings. If successful, it will then go to the House of Delegates.
Aside from the change in the way poker is classified, Sen. Lucas also called for the legalization of casino gambling in separate Senate bills. However, these did not meet the necessary support. The Senate lawmaker argued that Virginia should take timely measures to prevent the state from losing gambling revenue to neighboring states. Sen. Lucas pointed to the recently launched MGM National Harbor in neighboring Maryland as the biggest threat to said revenue.
According to a study she presented her fellow lawmakers with, Virginia will lose up to $300 million to the casino resort as it would attract residents with its glamorous gambling and non-gambling options. However, it seems that her arguments did not strike a chord with the state Senate.
Online Lottery Efforts in Virginia
Land-based gambling expansion has not been the only concern to the state’s lawmakers over the past several days. A bill for the legalization of online lottery sales has recently been introduced by House Delegate Roxann Robinson. However, a House of Delegates subcommittee decided against the proposal to end an effort that could have made Virginia the fifth state to offer iLottery options, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, and Kentucky being the other four.
It is believed that the legalization and regulation of online lotteries will anger brick-and-mortar retailers. They have previously pointed out that digital sales may cannibalize their business.
