The State of Pennsylvania is the epicenter of the rapid expansion of illegal gambling devices, litigation, and legislative debates on how to address this problem. Lawmakers in Pennsylvania, many funded by the “skill” game industry, are considering legislation that would legalize thousands of slot machines in our communities, posing a danger.
Deleware County District Attorney estimated there are 25,000 machines just in their single county. The statewide number is unknown, but growing.
Pennsylvania State Police testified that the rise of these machines is a “significant concern” to both players and the surrounding communities and has caused an uptick in criminal activity.
They are deceptively called "skill machines," but the reality is that programmed chance supersedes any actual skill. Payouts favor the companies that own them.
There is no testing or certification for the machines, leaving players vulnerable to potential manipulation and unfair practices.
The machine locations have no monitoring for underage play or compulsive gambling.
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The Pennsylvania Legislature is poised to address this issue, and a statewide campaign has emerged to stop the spread of these machines.
Read the latest news about how illegal slot machines are impacting communities and what’s being done to remove them.
The American Gaming Association makes a strong case for why Pennsylvania should ban “skill” machines and get them out of restaurants, bars, convenience stores, American Legion halls or anywhere outside of casinos.
Pennsylvania Senator Gene Yaw (R-23) is putting on a full-court press to regulate skill games. Yaw introduced Senate Bill 706, which consists of a tax structure for skill games to operate as a legal, regulated form of gambling in Pennsylvania.
An American Gaming Association report on the extent of illegal gambling in the U.S. and the harm from its unregulated nature has highlighted Pennsylvania’s “gray market” skill games industry as a primary example.