Skill games are slot machines under Pennsylvania law and must adhere to the commonwealth’s crime and gambling statutes, the state’s highest court ruled Monday.
However, the ruling says that law enforcement can’t take any action for 120 days. That gives the legislature a four-month window to decide whether to regulate the machines, which have proliferated across the state in taverns, gas stations, and corner stores despite existing in a legal gray area. An estimated 70,000 machines are operating in Pennsylvania.
Republicans who control the state Senate said the ruling makes addressing skill games a “critical piece” of resolving this year’s budget, while Democrats who lead the state House said the caucus is still reviewing the decision.
