Are Arcade Games Really Illegal in This Small Beach New England Town?

New England has a ton to offer to both its residents and its visitors. From charming small towns to metropolitan cities, thousands of acres of wilderness, and thousands of miles of beach coastlines, there is something for everyone in New England.

Massachusetts offers the Berkshires and Cape Cod, Vermont offers the Green Mountains and some of the best Maple Syrup in the world. Maine is famous for the best lobster in the country, and Connecticut boasts historical landmarks prestigious universities, and a hell of a wine trail. Which brings us to Rhode Island.

While it's the smallest state in the U.S., Rhode Island packs a big punch. It's famous for being small, but its real claim to fame is some of the best beaches in the country. Its nickname is the Ocean State and there are over 400 miles of beaches for both locals and tourists to enjoy. From Misquamicut to Narragansett and beyond, there are tons of summer vacation hot spots but none quite as unique as Block Island.

Block Island is located off the south coast of Rhode Island and is accessible by ferry along with a very small airport on the island. It only has about 1,000 year-round residents, but in the summer the 17-mile island sees an average of 15,000 - 20,000 people on it daily.

The island has a ton to offer, but one thing they don't have, well at least can't legally offer, is an arcade.

Arcades Are Banned in This Small New England Town

While recently visiting Block Island, we walked past a movie theatre that had a sign posted protesting the town's ban on arcades. After a little research, I discovered New Shoreham is one of the only, if not the only, towns in the United States that ban more than two arcade games.

Years ago, antiquated bylaws stated that town officials believed coin-operated games bordered on casinos and would "draw the wrong crowd" and lead to congestion of young people loitering. Whether or not folks agree with it, Block Island isn't alone in this battle, or at least they didn't used to be.

In 2014 residents in Marshfield, Massachusetts overturned a 1982 bylaw that banned coin-operated arcade games from all businesses in the town.