Laser Bounce Family Fun Center, with locations in Queens and Levittown, N.Y., is one of dozens of indoor FECs that have filed a lawsuit against the state of New York for what they allege is the “arbitrary way Gov. Andrew Cuomo has allowed some businesses to reopen after the March 2020 Covid-19 shutdown.”
The plaintiffs, including arcades and other indoor family amusements, claim the ongoing pandemic restrictions imposed on their businesses are unfair compared with gyms, casinos, bowling alleys and other indoor venues that have been allowed to reopen.
“Gov. Cuomo continues to make random and arbitrary decisions as to which businesses can open, none of which are based on science or data,” said James Mermigis, the attorney for the plaintiffs. “Gov. Cuomo and his team tasked with reopening our economy have ignored these family businesses, which have provided extensive evidence of how they can operate safely. The governor is destroying these family businesses, some of which may never recover.”
Among the chief complaint – that video game arcades are closed while casinos are open. Many states originally went that route, keeping arcades shut down in favor of high-revenue-producing casinos, however, New York is among the final holdouts with that glaring inconsistency. A full copy of the lawsuit is available here.