Philadelphia City Council is considering an ordinance that would ban so-called “skill games” that have been spreading throughout Pennsylvania. The unregulated games, located in convenience stores, gas stations and other locations, are dominated by a machine dubbed “Pennsylvania Skill” and distributed in several states by manufacturer Pace-O-Matic.
Councilmember Curtis Jones, the main sponsor of the bill—which has eight co-sponsors—added an amendment to Title 9 of the Philadelphia Code by adding Prohibition on Certain Gambling Machines and Skills Games to “prohibit the operation of any casino-style or skill game that accepts cash payment for the chance of a cash reward and is not otherwise regulated by the state of Pennsylvania, all under certain terms and conditions.”
The ordinance was referred to Council’s Committee on Public Safety which held a hearing on the bill in December, according to the news site PlayPennsylvania, which was unable to confirm a date for a full council vote.
Jones told the news site the “bandit machines” are plaguing communities and leading to crime around businesses that offer them.
A spokesman for Pace-O-Matic issued a statement saying its Pennsylvania Skill games would not be affected by a ban.
“We support City Council’s actions that crackdown on illegal games that have sprung up around Philadelphia,” said Pace-O-Matic spokesman Mike Barley. “These games purport to be games of skill, but they’re not, they are pure gambling. They are VGTs.”
Barley added that Pennsylvania Skill is filing an amended complaint in the Commonwealth Court against the City of Philadelphia because it believes City Council intended the ban to target the legal skill game industry and Pennsylvania Skill.
“Looking at city crime data, we find no connection whatsoever with our games. Any assertions counter to that are just not true. We have worked with law enforcement in the past because we want to continue to be good community partners.”
The Pennsylvania Skill games are at the center of an effort by the American Gaming Association and the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers to ban unregulated gaming machines like Pennsylvania Skill, which look and play like slot machines but are not vented by the state’s strict slot regulations.
