The D.C. Council is taking some tentative new steps toward regulating electronic gaming machines with cash payouts, as one company works to install the devices in the District even as they face intense legislative scrutiny in Virginia.

Lawmakers passed emergency legislation Tuesday designed to set new standards around managing “games of skill,” an increasingly popular new gaming option around the region. Although the games may resemble slot machines, they require at least a nominal amount of pattern recognition or participation by players, allowing the devices to avoid the District’s longstanding ban on slots.

The bill, approved 10-0 with two council members voting present, will take effect immediately. It creates a specific definition for “games of skill,” sets a minimum age of 18 for players and restricts the machines to ABC-licensed establishments. Any restaurant or bar looking to install a machine would need to secure an opinion from Attorney General Karl Racine’s office…