OPINION: Protect Pennsylvania communities by regulating skill games

Tuesday, April 23, 2024 7:24 PM
  • John Adams, Reading Eagle

When asked why he robbed banks, the infamous crook Willie Sutton reportedly responded, “Because that’s where the money is.”

Today, our communities are seeing an increase in crime because of the so-called skill games that have popped up in pizza shops, taverns, convenience stores and gas stations. Why are the machines being targeted by thieves? Because that’s where the money is.

Thieves know that these machines have cash boxes. They know that, unlike highly regulated casinos, the local shops with skill games generally have few or no security procedures in place.

In March the U.S. Department of Justice announced that a New York man pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a theft ring that was targeting skill games in Pennsylvania and Virginia.