Virginia Beach convenience store owners closed doors to protest skill games amendment
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Hundreds of convenience stores across the Commonwealth closed their doors for an hour Tuesday afternoon as part of two days of protests against the governor’s stance on skill games.
On Monday, many stores in Virginia stopped selling lottery tickets for part of the day. On Tuesday, they locked their doors.
Hundreds of convenience stores across Virginia plan to protest Youngkin’s skill games amendments
At the BP gas station on Northampton Boulevard in Virginia Beach, six skill game machines are lodged in a crevice collecting dust.
The statewide ban on skill games and Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s changes to a bill that would bring them back are why Bhavin and Kaushal Patel temporarily closed their doors between 3:50 p.m. and 4:50 p.m. Tuesday afternoon in protest.
The time, according to the Virginia Merchants and Amusement Coalition, is a nod to Youngkin’s amendment that would ban skill games within a 35-mile radius from casinos and would impose a 45% tax on the machines. Those changes, the Patels, among other business owners argue, is hurting their livelihood.
“It helped us pay our rent, utility bills or give bonuses to our employees,” Bhavin Patel said.
Patel told 10 On Your Side that since the ban on skill games, he’s lost $5,000 to $6,000 per month. By protesting with other convenience store owners, the hope is that they make an impact across the state.
“We want to show the Commonwealth how much money we bring in through the lottery or collecting sales tax,” Patel said, “or collecting tax on the gasoline itself.”
James Boyce was one of many customers who arrived at the BP to locked doors.
“I don’t have any problem with them protesting,” Boyce said. “I actually kind of agree with them.”
Boyce teaches high school government and has followed the news regarding skill games.
“Why hurt the small guys for the big guys? If you’re going to ban the skills machines for the small people that can’t go the casinos,” Boyce told 10 On Your Side, “then why have casinos at all, because not everyone can make it to the casino.”
In the meantime, the Patels are waiting for the day they can dust off their machines and move them back to the front of the store.
“We just have to make our voices heard,” Bhavin Patel said.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
