Pennsylvania Town Issues Partial Ban on 'Skill Games' as Battle Over Legality Rages On

Pennsylvania casinos contend so-called skill-game parlors are merely dens for unlicensed slot machines. (Image: Keith Srakocic / AP)

The town of Bensalem, Pennsylvania passed a partial ban on skill games Monday night, a move that was criticized as a pro-casino move by a distributor of the increasingly common machines.

The Bensalem Township Council unanimously adopted an ordinance on Monday that bans the skill games in most venues in the Bucks County town, with the exception of businesses that hold a state-issued liquor license. 

Police Say ‘Skill Games’ Attract Criminal Activity

According to Public Safety Director William McVey, local police had been looking into the skill games issue for two years due to public complaints about the machines. Police say that the number of these games located in bars, convenience stores, restaurants, and other establishments rose from about 100 in 2023 to around 170 as of the Monday meeting. 

According to police, the games were connected to robberies, theft, and other crimes that threatened public safety and the quality of life in Bensalem. 

“We’ve seen a proliferation of these machines in all types of businesses and we’ve also seen it welcome a criminal element,” McVey said during Monday’s meeting. 

Under the new rules, businesses with liquor licenses will be able to keep skill game machines only if they place them in areas that are not accessible to children and that are within view of employees. In addition, businesses choosing to host the machines will have to provide video surveillance of any areas with gaming machines.

What Are Skill Games?

Skill games are machines that look and operate much like slot machines. However, proponents say that they include skill elements that allow players the opportunity to potentially turn a profit on every bet, if they are skillful enough. 

For instance, Pennsylvania Skill says that its games – provided by Pace-o-Matic – allow players to choose where to place wild symbols during normal gameplay. On losing spins, there are memory games that allow players to turn a profit if they play well enough.

“On every single play, you can win,” Barley told PAHomepage.com earlier this year. “You can win up to 105 percent every time, it just depends on the way you play it.” 

Pennsylvania Skill Slams ‘Casino-Written’ Legislation

According to the Bensalem solicitor, the guidelines were crafted to mirror those in Senate Bill 1142, a proposed piece of legislation to regulate skill games currently sitting in the Pennsylvania Senate. However, that comment caught the ire of a spokesperson for Pennsylvania Skill, a company that supplies skill games to operators. 

“Pennsylvania Skill is alarmed that Bensalem Township Supervisors would pass a measure that will hurt small family-owned businesses and fraternal clubs that benefit from the supplemental revenue from skill games,” spokesperson Mike Barley said in a statement to 6ABC Action News. “Considering that the council is basing its ordinance on a casino-written piece of legislation, Senate Bill 1142, this tells us all we need to know about who is driving this effort. This is about protecting an internationally-owned casino.”

That statement references Parx Casino, the Greenwood Racing-owned casino located in Bensalem. However, McVey denied that the casino played a role in the passage of the ordinance.

“We’re doing this based on the public safety need for Bensalem Township, based on the data that we’ve had,” McVey wrote in a response to Action News. “I’ve seen a 40 percent increase of these machines in our township in one year.”

Under the new ordinance, which will go into effect Nov. 7, 10 days after it was signed on Monday night, establishments that continue to host these machines without a liquor license could face fines of up to $1,000 as well as additional fees for each day the skill games remain in place. 

The decision continues a battle raging across Pennsylvania over the status of skill games. There are multiple proposals for how to regulate these machines, with Pennsylvania Skill pointing out one approach they support.

“We advocate for what Gov. Josh Shapiro supports: skill game regulation and taxation legislation that will rid neighborhoods of illegal gambling machines, especially mini-casinos, without harming law-abiding business owners,” Barley wrote in his statement. 

“The legislation also would provide tax revenue for the state to use on priorities such as transportation and mass transit.”