AGA Sees Negative Attitude Towards “Skill Game” Machines

According to the majority of US residents, such devices are, in fact, “games of chance” and as such, they ought to be regulated. Two-thirds of Americans, or 65%, agree that these machines have no skill element and they are essentially the same as slot machines.

Americans Don’t Think Skill Machines Take Skill

Slot machines are games where the outcome of each random is based on random chance, and not so much the particular skill of a player. Poker may be deemed as a game of chance, but the existing market for unregulated “skill machines” is not, the survey’s results indicate.

AGA president and CEO Bill Miller has criticized the business model of manufacturers of such products, arguing that businesses that build the machines are “duping” customers by promising them a chance to win if they are “skilled.” They are also hurting their states and the federal government by avoiding taxes, and further harming consumers by not upholding the same consumer protection standards as the regulated market.

These results are further evidence that Americans see these machines as a threat that should be eliminated, not regulated.

Bill Miller, president & CEO, AGA

These machines have proliferated around the United States and there is an estimated 580,651 of those right now. In other words, “skill machines” account for about 40% of all gambling machines in the nations leaving customers vulnerable, AGA insists.

Skill Machines Not Loved by the Public

Meanwhile, Americans also argued that “skill” machines lack sufficient player protections (71%), and another 64% agreed that these devices are too readily accessible to players. Not least, 56% of respondents added that the machines could actually lead to more crime and endanger employees at the venues where they are posted.

“Keeping America’s gaming industry strong, safe and responsible can only be done through the robust infrastructure of the well-established legal market, not by rewarding bad actors with half-measures that fail to address the dangers of unregulated gambling,” Miller added.

Of course, consumer opinion of these devices is not the same as a law, but it gives a good estimate of what the public opinion in the country is right now. AGA and other stakeholders, as well as lawmakers, have been making a more passionate argument before state governing bodies and legislature, appealing for these machines to be dealt with.

In other news, the AGA just published its Q2 2023 Commercial Revenue Tracker, highlighting the performance of the legal gaming and betting industry.