NORFOLK, Va. — Correction: This story has been updated to correct an error about the amount of tax proposed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin for skill game machines.
Hundreds of convenience stores across Virginia will be closing for an hour Tuesday in an act of protest against Governor Glenn Youngkin's amendments to skill games legislation.
According to a release from VA Merchants and Amusement Coalition (VA MAC), their members will be participating in a second day of protest urging Youngkin and the General Assembly to reverse the governor's amendments to a bill that would re-legalize skill games.
Youngkin's amendments to the bill include a 35% tax rate and a ban on skill games within a 35-mile radius of any casino. The coalition says this amendment would "permanently shut down thousands of convenience stores across the Commonwealth."
The stores will be closing from 3:50 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. The coalition says the specific time is a reference to the 35-mile radius ban and the proposed tax rate.
"This statewide convenience store shutdown will show customers, communities and localities the harmful impact the Governor Youngkin's skill game amendments will have," VA MAC wrote in a release.
The hour-long closure comes the day after 500 stores across the Commonwealth stopped selling Virginia lottery tickets, including Border Station in Chesapeake, which is within 21 miles of Rivers Casino Portsmouth. Owners claim it is one of the top three lottery sales stores in the state.