Skill game machines are gone from a Havertown Sunoco station after Pennsylvania's Supreme Court banned them statewide.
Bars, veterans' posts and convenience stores across Delaware County have been pulling the video-slot-style devices ahead of an Oct. 14 enforcement deadline. A clerk at the Sunoco at 400 E. Township Line in Havertown told the Daily Times the machines were hauled out the night of Oct. 12 and warned that any outstanding vouchers needed to be cashed in. The Daily Times, which first reported the local removals, found most devices already gone when it surveyed businesses in Havertown, Upper Darby and Brookhaven on Oct. 13.
The state's highest court ruled in June that the machines qualify as slot machines under Pennsylvania's Gaming Act. That classification makes them illegal gambling devices in any establishment not licensed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). The court gave the legislature 120 days to create a regulatory framework, but lawmakers failed to act, according to 6abc. The court then denied requests to extend the deadline or grant a stay.
State police warned in a September release that businesses still possessing the machines after Oct. 14 could face criminal prosecution and seizure of the devices, equipment and money tied to their operation. Simply unplugging a machine does not count as compliance. The machines must be physically removed.
An estimated 70,000 skill game machines had been spread across Pennsylvania in taverns, gas stations, laundromats and social clubs, according to Patch.
At American Legion Post 214 in Upper Darby, Richard Blye, commander of the Sons at the post, was waiting on Oct. 13 for a truck to pick up two machines sitting next to the jukebox in the canteen. The machines had been there about two years, drawing foot traffic and helping cover bills, Blye told the Daily Times.
"It did generate revenue but we have to follow the law," Blye said.
Blye said the post turned the machines off about a month earlier, as soon as officials learned the devices would become illegal. Signs posted on the machines said the game software had been removed and the terminals disabled.
Veterans' groups and other nonprofits that relied on the machines now need to find replacement revenue. VFWs, fire stations and American Legion posts across the state face the same gap.
In Harrisburg, several bills have been proposed but none has passed. State Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Lycoming, introduced a bill last year that would set a $500-per-machine monthly fee and cap terminals at 50,000 statewide. State Rep. Russ Diamond, R-Lebanon, proposed a 20% gross revenue tax. Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed a 52% tax, matching the rate on casino slot machines.
Doug Sprankle, president of the Pennsylvania Taverns and Players Association, told the Daily Times that supporters hope lawmakers will revisit the issue after the November elections and create a path for regulated skill games.
Businesses with a liquor license that need help with removal can contact the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. Those without a license can reach their local police department or nearest state police station.
