JUNEAU — Gov. Bill Walker has signed into law legislation that would clear the way for the restaurant Dave & Buster’s to do business in Alaska.
The bill, from Sen. Lesil McGuire, makes clear that businesses with arcade-style games in which tokens can be redeemed for onsite toys and candy or claw machines used to grab goodies from a machine are not considered gambling operations.
McGuire, in her sponsor statement, said the bill was necessitated by vague state laws that made the legality of such operations unclear.
The president and CEO of the Alaska Chamber said the bill would provide a measure of confidence to Dave & Buster’s, which is looking at doing business in Anchorage.
Walker, in a release, said any effort to diversify the state’s economy and put more Alaskans to work is a positive.
