Pennsylvania court to determine whether skill game machines should be removed
Debate on whether these machines are gambling is taking place in several states.
The fate of Pennsylvania’s skill game terminals now rests in the hands of the Commonwealth’s highest court, according to a recent Associated Press report.
The state Supreme Court recently announced that it will “consider an appeal by the attorney general’s office of a lower-court decision.”
The lower court ruled that skill games are not considered games of chance because they are based on play ability.
However, Pennsylvania has previously considered these games “unlicensed gambling machines that are operating illegally and subject to seizure by police.”
The American Gaming Association estimates that there are nearly 67,000 skill game terminals in the state of Pennsylvania, the highest of any state.
Pennsylvania is not the only state that is taking another look at skill game machines and their effect on the market.
The city of Virginia Beach began enforcing Virginia’s statewide ban on skill games. The ban was reinstated last fall.
Virginia first passed a law banning skill game kiosks during 2020. However, the restriction was lifted at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic to provide “desperately needed revenue for small businesses.”
Following the 2020 ban, the gaming industry pushed back to appeal the matter in court. Both groups reached a legal standstill in December 2021. Up until the recent ruling, no formal decision had been made on the case.
To end the two-year legal dispute, the Virginia Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of banning games of skill.
Other states that are discussing the legality of skill games and whether to allow them within their borders include Texas and Kentucky.
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