Dave & Buster‘s plans to allow betting on its arcade games are already facing legal pushback before they could even come to fruition.
Who could have seen this coming?
It’s only been a week since CNBC reported Dave & Buster‘s was teaming up with software company Lucra to gamify its games by adding an app feature to allow social wagering by customers 18 and older. However, lawmakers in Ohio and Illinois have spoken out against the idea.
The same day as D&B’s announcement, the Ohio Casino Control Commission told Legal Sports Report it had concerns that Dave & Buster’s proposal appeared to violate state law.
A spokesperson for the Ohio Casino Control Commission told LSR it has “serious concerns” that the proposal for Dave & Busters to allow customers to bet on arcade games “appears to violate Ohio law.” The state regulator is reaching out to D&B for more information.
— Mike Mazzeo (@MazzNYC) April 30, 2024
An Illinois lawmaker took things a step further Thursday by filing a bill to make sure Dave & Buster’s can’t allow betting on its games in the state, according to LSR.
The bill, filed by Rep. Dan Didech, would create the Family Amusement Wagering Prohibition Act if passed. It would prohibit businesses from engaging in facilitating or promoting wagering on their games.
“The company is planning to operate this, leaning heavily into what they say is a distinction of games of chance and games of skill,” Didech said. “That’s a dichotomy I reject. And as legislators and regulators across the country take a look at this, we should be active in rejecting that.”
“Every game has an element of skill or chance. You can play blackjack, a game everyone agrees is gambling, in a more skillful and less skillful way.”
