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The West Virginia Amusement and Limited Lottery Association, along with location owners, have sued the West Virginia Lottery Commission, charging that the state’s planned three-part bidding process for video lottery terminal (VLT) licence renewals will have a negative impact on existing operators and locations.
New rules recently adopted by the lottery commission opened bidding for 5000 out of 8100 licences in early August, in preparation for replacing the licences that will expire on 30 June 2011.
The remaining 3100 licences will be split into smaller lots in December and March 2011. But the lawsuit wants all licences to go up for bid simultaneously, even if it means delaying the opening of the process.
Former rules meant existing VLT operators were preferred in ten-year licence bids. This protected their investment in equipment, staff, parts and supplies, and legal fees. The old law also permitted VLT operators to purchase unclaimed licences at the same price as the highest bid made during the first round.
West Virginia claims the new rules will create greater competition and transparency. However, operators contend that the three phases will mean no unclaimed licences, which will push them out of the market and result in possible location closures.
