Last month, the Supreme Court of Virginia reinstated a state-wide ban on skill games. The Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares had recommended no enforcement of the skill games begin until Nov 15, leaving discretion to the Commonwealth’s Attorneys.
The skill games at Finnigan’s Cove in Harrisonburg were brought in during the pandemic when business was slow. Owner Donna Finnigan said, “It’s still helpful you know the economy is bad, the food is high it’s just still very helpful.” Gamers at Finnigan’s Cove must be paying customers and purchase food or drinks to play the skill games. According to Donna, “It draws them in, they come in to play and they do eat and drink and they stay for a while.” With the ban in place, Finnigan has already noticed a difference in customers. She stated, “It’s a difference in income that’s for sure, we only have two games but it’s still a huge difference in income and I’ve noticed some of the people that came in to play and bought food and drinks, we haven’t seen them.”
Donna understands why there is a ban on skill games but wishes there was more support for small businesses. She said, “It definitely needs to be regulated, I think that’s a problem and that’s probably why we’re where we are.” Additionally, she believes that there should be limits on how many machines can be installed per square footage. She stated
