Pennsylvania State Police will begin criminal prosecution and immediate seizure of skill game machines at unlicensed locations from 14 October. The 120-day safe harbour granted by the state Supreme Court expires Tuesday, and lawmakers have not passed legislation to tax and regulate the devices.
Enforcement scope
Any establishment that possesses, operates or maintains the machines outside a licensed location faces criminal prosecution with device seizure. Related equipment and revenue may be confiscated. Simply switching off a machine or unplugging it is not sufficient. Bars and restaurants face administrative sanctions on their liquor licences, up to and including revocation. Attorney General Dave Sunday urged businesses to remove the machines voluntarily last month.
The scale is large: the Attorney General's office estimates the installed base at 70,000 terminals across four to six brands. Pennsylvania Skill from Pace-O-Matic accounts for around 20,000 of them.
Legal basis
The 15 June Supreme Court ruling classified skill games as slot machines under the Gaming Act. Possessing, operating or servicing a slot machine without a Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board licence is a criminal offence. Only licensed casinos and compliant licensed truck stops may legally hold them. The court gave the General Assembly 120 days to write rules, then on 9 October denied a final request to extend the deadline. Some locations have already removed equipment: Dauphin County VFW did so over the weekend.
Pace-O-Matic said: 'This is no longer about what could happen. Communities across Pennsylvania are facing the consequences.' Fun Central owner Josh McCahan in Clearfield says the machines bring in a couple of thousand dollars a month and helped the business stay afloat. Pace-O-Matic's Michael Barley does not expect action before the election and hopes for a solution in the new year: there will be staff cuts and reduced donations, and some locations will close.
What blocked a deal
The dispute centres on three things: tax rate, where the money goes, and who may place machines. Rep. Dallas Kephart says there has been no movement in four months and no bill has been moved to committee. Senate Republicans and House Democrats have not reached agreement. Governor Josh Shapiro at the 7 October debate urged lawmakers to return to Harrisburg and pass legislation. The General Assembly returns to work on 19 October, but enforcement will already be under way by then.
