{"id":298688,"date":"2023-11-14T19:11:30","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T01:11:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=298688"},"modified":"2023-11-15T12:12:55","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T18:12:55","slug":"virginia-ex-nascar-drivers-skill-games-lawsuit-nixed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/virginia-ex-nascar-drivers-skill-games-lawsuit-nixed\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Ex-NASCAR Driver\u2019s Skill Games Lawsuit Nixed as Ban Enforced"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the enforcement of Virginia\u2019s skill game prohibition set to kick in Wednesday, a judge in Greensville County has dismissed former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler\u2019s legal challenge to the ban.<\/p>\n

\"Hermie
Hermie Sadler during his racing days. Now 54, the former NASCAR driver says he is determined to defend his \u201cconstitutional rights\u201d as a small business owner in the face of Virginia\u2019s sill games bans. (Image: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sadler sued<\/a> Virginia\u2019s then-Gov. Ralph Northam<\/a> (D) in June 2021, just as the administration clamped down on the \u201cslot-like\u201d machines.<\/p>\n

\n

Sadler owns several truck stops and restaurants in and around his hometown of Emporia in Southern Virginia. He argued the ban was \u201cunconstitutional and therefore unenforceable.\u201d He criticized the Northam administration for legalizing casino gambling and sports betting on one hand, and for criminalizing skill games on the other.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The ban unfairly pressured business owners who had relied on the terminals to cope with the financial constraints of the coronavirus, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

What are Skill Games?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Skill games have the look and feel of slot machines, but they employ certain elements of skill. This might involve the player having to make an \u201coptimal decision\u201d by identifying their own winning payline. Or it might involve completing a bonus game where they must memorize and repeat a flashing color sequence, for example.<\/p>\n

Skill games have been in Virginia restaurants, bars, and truck stops for the past two decades, existing in a legally gray area of the law.<\/p>\n

That was until 2020, when the legislature voted to ban the machines outright. But then-Gov. Northam devised a plan to tax and regulate the machines for 12 months only. This would help shore up finances for struggling businesses during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Sadler\u2019s lawsuit secured a delay<\/a> to the ban until the Supreme Court of Virginia’s final ruling in October declared the machines\u00a0illegal gambling games.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares issued an opinion that enforcement should be held off until November 15.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not gambling. These are skill games. And you are not a criminal. You are the backbone of Virginia,\u201d State Sen. Bill Stanley, who is also Sadler\u2019s lawyer, told the press outside the courthouse.<\/p>\n

Countdown to Enforcement<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The machines remain prevalent in the state, and police departments and sheriff\u2019s offices are grappling with how best to enforce the change in the law. Chief Rick Edwards of the Richmond Police Department told NBC Tuesday that law enforcement cannot be too heavy-handed toward businesses.<\/p>\n

We understand this was kind of sudden for some of our business owners. So it\u2019s important for us to make sure we get that message out to the business owners and patrons,\u201d<\/strong> said Edwards.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But the American Gaming Association (AGA), the DC-based industry body representing the regulated casino sector, was pulling no punches.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo-called skill gaming machines have long operated outside the lines in Virginia, and their operators have demonstrated they will stop at nothing to protect their profits,\u201d said ASA Senior Vice President Chris Clyke in a statement. \u201cThis decision rightly affirms Virginia\u2019s prerogative to regulate gambling activity within its borders, and it\u2019s now up to law enforcement to ensure these predatory machines are removed from communities across the commonwealth.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the enforcement of Virginia\u2019s skill game prohibition set to kick in Wednesday, a judge in Greensville County has dismissed former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler\u2019s legal challenge to the ban. Sadler sued Virginia\u2019s then-Gov. Ralph Northam (D) in June 2021, just as the administration clamped down on the \u201cslot-like\u201d machines. Sadler owns several truck stops […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":298690,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[88765,88766],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVirginia Ex-NASCAR Driver\u2019s Skill Games Lawsuit Nixed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler sees challenge to Virginia skill game ban dismissed as enforcement comes into effect Wednesday.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/virginia-ex-nascar-drivers-skill-games-lawsuit-nixed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Virginia Ex-NASCAR Driver\u2019s Skill Games Lawsuit Nixed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler sees challenge to Virginia skill game ban dismissed as enforcement comes into effect Wednesday.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/virginia-ex-nascar-drivers-skill-games-lawsuit-nixed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-15T01:11:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-15T18:12:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/HERMIE-1.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"802\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@casinoorgphilc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/virginia-ex-nascar-drivers-skill-games-lawsuit-nixed\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/virginia-ex-nascar-drivers-skill-games-lawsuit-nixed\/\",\"name\":\"Virginia Ex-NASCAR Driver\u2019s Skill Games Lawsuit Nixed\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/virginia-ex-nascar-drivers-skill-games-lawsuit-nixed\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/virginia-ex-nascar-drivers-skill-games-lawsuit-nixed\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/HERMIE-1.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-15T01:11:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-15T18:12:55+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/58769b72851c8cf117fb58ca150ebf8b\"},\"description\":\"Former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler sees challenge to Virginia skill game ban dismissed as enforcement comes into effect Wednesday.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/virginia-ex-nascar-drivers-skill-games-lawsuit-nixed\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/virginia-ex-nascar-drivers-skill-games-lawsuit-nixed\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/virginia-ex-nascar-drivers-skill-games-lawsuit-nixed\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/HERMIE-1.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/HERMIE-1.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":802,\"caption\":\"Hermie Sadler during his racing days. 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