Competing legislative proposals in Virginia, endorsed by different gambling companies, would encourage an increase in slotlike betting machines at truck stops, restaurants, and convenience stores statewide.

At the heart of the controversy is the “gray machine,” an arcade-style game that appears similar to slot machines but involves an element of skill, manufacturers say. Deemed “unregulated, unauthorized, and untaxed,” these gambling machines are termed “gray games” for their murky legal status, WDRB reported. 

In recent years, the machines have multiplied as lawmakers tackle how to oversee them amid a big-money lobbying battle featuring stiff casino industry disapproval of the devices. Also known as “skill games,” these devices are presently prohibited in Virginia under a ban passed in 2020.

A bill to legalize and tax the machines has died before, and machines were turned off after the Virginia Supreme Court vacated the lower court’s injunction.

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“Only a small handful of states have fully legalized the machines in the way Virginia is contemplating,” Chris Cylke at the American Gaming Association said. 

Kentucky also weighed in on the legality of “gray games” and “skill games” after years of debate and outlawed the slotlike machines in March 2023, allowing only charitable gambling, such as bingo, lottery, and horse racing.