Cardinal Way: Civility Rules encourages constructive dialogue on difficult issues. You can participate in the project by filling out this survey that asks your views: Should these games be treated as gambling machines or just a type of video game? How should we weigh the interests of small businesses and potential customers against the hazards of gambling and other social interests?
See the other article in this package: “There is no ‘gray’ in gray games; they bring violent crime’”
You can also still weigh in on last week’s question about taxes.
Every day I open my restaurant and get a sense of carrying on a great tradition.
The Coffee Pot opened in 1936, is a national and state landmark and one of the last remaining roadhouses in the country. I bought the place 45 years ago and love serving up great barbecue and interacting with customers from all over the country.
The last few years have been hard ones. Inflation is sending all my costs skyrocket high. It is not easy to find help anymore and, like many restaurants, we still feel the financial effects of COVID. My wife, Lisa, and I work seven days a week with the help of loyal employees to keep The Coffee Pot in the black.
One of the bright spots though, especially during the early days of the pandemic, was the revenue we generated through skill games. This important source of income allowed me to make improvements to my building, such as putting on a new roof, installing a new air conditioning system and maintaining the structure itself.
Now that money we counted on is gone because of the recent court decision to shut down skill games.
With help from skill games, we donate to the local Salvation Army and other charities, and during the pandemic, we turned our business into a sort of convenience store by providing food, paper products and other items we could buy but the general public couldn’t. During COVID, we also teamed up with Queen of Virginia Skill, which provides skill games and gave away hundreds of meals to people who were struggling financially.
This ban is difficult for small business owners who just want to make ends meet. We need a helping hand, not a rejection from state officials. I don’t understand why the little guy must lose out.
Skill games have brought customers in. They enjoyed playing the games, and when some people won, they bought more to eat and drink and became big tippers.
Fortunately, I know some legislators understand the plight of hard-working Virginia business owners. They want to pass legislation that regulates and further taxes skill games. That would allow me to turn my games on again, providing financial help to me, my family and my staff.
This also would mean additional funding for the state. During the pandemic, when Virginia created the COVID Relief Fund, skill games boosted the state coffers with $140 million. The state now has the chance to generate $200 million in additional revenue to provide essential funding for our localities, schools, and school construction. It’s a no-brainer. Why would the Commonwealth turn its back on that kind of needed revenue?
I am hoping fiscal logic and compassion for the plight of small business owners and their staff prevail in this debate. For now, though, I have no other option but to tighten my belt and hope for the best.
Carroll Bell owns The Coffee Pot restaurant in Roanoke.