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View the interactive map HERE
RICHMOND, Va. — Freedom Virginia today released new polling data showing that voters view so-called skill games unfavorably by more than a 2-1 margin, with half of voters reporting an unfavorable view and 22% viewing them favorably.
The survey found that support for a candidate drops 29 points when voters are told the candidate supports skill games.
The polling showed that Virginians want their legislators to focus on funding core services by making the tax code more equitable, instead of by legalizing slot machine-like skill games.
In 2023, the General Assembly’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) found that Virginia’s K-12 public education system is facing a $3.5 billion shortfall. A “Fair Share” tax would only apply to people making more than $1 million in a year and would raise over $3 billion over a two-year period. So-called skill games are not a serious fix to our school funding problem, as they would generate only about $100 million in revenue over the same period of time.
More than seven in ten Virginians find it important – including 47% very important — for the General Assembly to make the tax code fairer by making the wealthy pay their fair share, with nearly eight in ten Virginians wanting the legislature to make the tax code fairer by ensuring working families pay less. 73% of Virginians agree that a fairer tax code means working families pay a lower rate than the wealthy, and only 27% of voters believe Virginia cannot afford to have the wealthy pay their fair share.
When presented with various actions the state legislature could take in a special session dealing with revenue issues, nearly two-thirds of all Virginians find it unimportant to expand gambling opportunities by allowing slots-like gaming machines.
Voters’ biggest concern about so-called skill games is that they prey on working and poor communities.
A new analysis by Freedom Virginia found that that data backs up voters’ perceptions. The analysis shows that before skill games were banned in Virginia, 70% of these machines were located in zip codes with household incomes below the state median of $87,249.
An interactive map showing the concentration of skill games relative to an area’s median income can be viewed HERE.
“This new poll shows that Virginians oppose so-called skill games as a way to fund public education, and prefer legislators to take a comprehensive approach to revenue that ensures the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share,” said Freedom Virginia Executive Director Rhena Hicks. “Virginians know what they’ve seen with their own eyes: so-called skill games exploit lower-income communities, and they are not a long-term solution to fund our schools. Our lawmakers should focus on real tax reform that reduces the burden on working families and makes big corporations and the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share.”
The poll of 600 likely voters was conducted by Lake Research from June 3-9.
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