The VCBA has two goals for the 2023 General Assembly session.
Chuck Lessin, our legislative director has been interviewed by JLARC, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee. JLARC received a request from the General Assembly to study which government entity would best serve the regulation of charitable gaming in the Commonwealth. The VCBA was asked to contribute to the JLARC study as one of several concerned and interested industry stakeholders.
The second item on the 2023 VCBA agenda is an effort to clarify existing statute concerning the charitable play of Texas Hold’em poker. A Virginia Circuit Court case related to this issue had the Judge, the Honorable Bonnie Shockley, publicly declare the Virginia charitable poker statute as vague and confusing. Judge Shockley suggested that the General Assembly revisit these laws and make them more clear. The VCBA will strive to not only clarify the statue but will ask our legislators to fulfill their 2020 pledge to gaming charities. Allow the charities to replace lost bingo revenue and prepare for the effectsof Casino for profit gaming. The 2020 General Assembly vote was intended to prepare the charities and offer the charities a lifeline to their decades old fundraising efforts. Our goal in 2023 is to restore the 2020 intent and allow the charities to play Texas Hold’em in a way that will generate significant revenue that will support local charitable, educational and community efforts all over Virginia. Churches, Fire Departments, Rescue Squads, Youth Sports, After School programming, Inner City programming for children and adults/seniors, Veterans groups, Fraternals, etc., are but a few of the stated charitable causes around our state.
