A recent editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times asks: Are video arcades more dangerous than casinos during a pandemic? The author noted the federal lawsuit filed in Massachusetts, deeming it unconstitutional. (The governor there has since decided to reopen arcades, though there are other states that continue to have arcades closed while casinos are open.)
The article asserts what many arcade operators are arguing – slot machines and video games are similar in proximity to each other and pose similar risks of Covid-19 transmission.
“Like many of the distinctions drawn by the Covid-19 lockdowns that all but a few governors imposed last spring, this one makes no medical sense,” the author wrote. Added Bit Bar’s Gideon Coltof, who led the lawsuit against Massachusetts: “There is no meaningful distinction between the permitted and forbidden games other than their content.”