Former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino Exposes Illegal Gaming In Virginia

Tom Marino, former U.S. Congressman, U.S. Attorney and counsel to Pace-O-Matic, recently completed a four-city blitz in Virginia exposing sites of illegal, unregulated mini-casinos across the Commonwealth. Marino was flanked by retired law enforcement personnel who performed investigations into these illegal sites. The blitzes will continue across Virginia in the days and weeks ahead.

“Everyone loses when it comes to illegal gaming establishments in Virginia,” said Marino. “The residents of Virginia lose out in excess of $130 million in tax revenue. Business owners lose out on legitimate skill games from reputable companies.  And consumers lose their money playing unregulated machines fixed against them.”

Marino held press conferences at illegal establishments in Richmond and Portsmouth on Tuesday and Roanoke on Wednesday. Below is press coverage of the events.

In 2020, Gov. Ralph Northam signed legislation into law enabling skill games in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Since the law’s passage, skill games have contributed $132 million in state tax revenue, contributing to education and school funding, COVID-19 relief, and support for small businesses. The law included a sunset provision that went into effect on July 1, 2021. Since then, Virginia has lost out on millions of dollars in tax revenue.

Illegal gaming platforms that pay zero dollars in tax revenue to the state have been filling the void of licensed skill games that have been removed from locations. Additionally, there is no guarantee that these unregulated games are not “fixed” against the consumer.

Pace-O-Matic develops, produces, and licenses legally compliant games in every state where it operates. Since its founding in 2000, the organization has built a talented leadership team and a culture defined by integrity, innovation, and compliance. Learn more at www.paceomatic.com.