A yearslong legal battle between Philadelphia leaders and gaming companies reached has reached a fever pitch after a bill to dramatically limit installations of casino-style “skill games” passed the City Council and was immediately challenged in state court.
Over several years, skill games have proliferated Pennsylvania’s bars, restaurants and gas stations, operating in a legal gray area — untaxed, unregulated, and occasionally seized by police.
However, a state court judge held this past November that the digital games do not qualify as slot machines, and thus cannot be regulated under existing gaming regulations.
Frustrated with the state government’s slow movement toward regulating the machines, the Philadelphia City Council has attempted to ban skill games from most city businesses.
