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Bill would codify existing rules for arcade-style "skill-based" prize games after agency regulation change drew operator concerns
Summary
Delegate Vanessa Atterberry and industry representatives urged a favorable report on HB 633 to clarify state law distinguishing skill-based amusement devices (arcade ticket games) from illegal slot machines; Dave & Buster's and Main Event representatives warned a recent agency regulation would make Maryland unique and harm family entertainment.
Delegate Vanessa Atterberry presented House Bill 633 to the House Ways and Means Committee on Feb. 6, seeking to codify regulatory treatment for skill-based amusement devices such as ticket-accumulation arcade games used at family entertainment centers.
Atterberry said the bill would reinforce long-standing Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency regulations that distinguish skill-based amusement devices from slot machines and permit the accumulation of low-value tickets that players exchange for larger prizes. Representatives from Dave & Buster's and Main Event told the committee the proposed language restores clarity after an agency action they said would make Maryland the only state to prohibit ticket accumulation beyond a very low minimal wholesale value.
Tom Cole, outside counsel for Dave & Buster's, and the brand's regional operations director said the accumulation model is core to the business and supports frequent visits, higher revenue and local employment. Committee members asked whether caps cited in fiscal documents (for example a $599 wholesale-value reference) applied to accumulated prizes; witnesses said they could accept a cap like that but preferred no cap and said most prize values (such as gaming consoles) are well below that level.
Questions from delegates raised operational points: whether the bill would affect county-level licensure of arcade devices (Delegate Hornberger) and whether card-based point systems would be covered (Delegate Young). Witnesses said the bill targets arcade-style skill devices and that clarifications about cards/points could be addressed in drafting. Several delegates and witnesses discussed the technical difference between purely mechanical claw games (which the industry acknowledged may be probability based) and other skill-based arcade games.
No formal vote was recorded at the hearing; sponsors requested a favorable report. The hearing record includes multiple industry witnesses and questions about potential regulatory and county licensure overlap.
