Governor Signs Bill Protecting Boardwalk Arcades

OCEAN CITY — Bringing closure to a long-debated and often fiercely battled issue, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan last week signed into a law a bill that protects previously- threatened traditional Boardwalk arcades and other family-owned entertainment centers in the resort.

In 2012, state lawmakers passed legislation putting coin-operated amusement equipment under the auspices of the Maryland Lottery. Essentially, the Lottery and Gaming Control Agency proposed new regulations that would apply fees and other regulatory requirements on certain Boardwalk-style arcade games that issue prizes of a certain cash value. The proposed regulations would target arcade games such as claw machines, for example, that offer players a chance to win iPods and other prizes that have a wholesale value of over $30.

The proposed regulations would not target skee ball and other games that issue tickets that are accumulated for the chance to win larger prizes when certain point values are reached. The regulations, if approved, would apply to the defined machines statewide, although their impact would most acutely be felt on the Boardwalk in Ocean City with its historic arcade games enjoyed by families for generations.

A variety of different regulations were offered as a result of that 2012 bill, which was deemed adverse to the iconic amusement arcade industry so central to the Ocean City Boardwalk. As time went on, the arcade industry in Ocean City was under constant threat over what types of equipment could be operated, which was an unintended side effect of the bill that never meant to target the traditional family-run Boardwalk arcades.

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