SPRINGDALE, Pa. — Dozens gathered in Springdale Wednesday evening to rally in favor of skill games in Pennsylvania.
This comes two months after the state Supreme Court ruled that skill games, as you may often see in convenience stores, clubs and even laundromats, are slot machines.
Many at the meeting represented local clubs or small businesses. Each speaker talked about how important skill machines are to their organization’s bottom line.
Becky Veltri was there representing the Brackenridge American Legion.
“If we don’t have those skill games, we probably close. There will be no American Legion in Brackenridge,” she said.
The goal of the meeting was to put pressure on lawmakers in Harrisburg to pass one of two bills by the October 13 deadline.
Both Senate Bill 1079 and House Bill 2213 would establish a $500 monthly fee per skill game terminal and limit the number statewide to 50,000.
“It’ll be very difficult to stay alive. We did a lot to come back after Covid and the machines helped us. We’ve actually put in additional machines since then,” Melissa Thomas said. She owns Tailgaters in Cheswick.
If lawmakers don’t act before the deadline, the machines will be considered illegal.
“Small businesses are expensive. The overhead on a small bar in a small town with the economy the way it is...it’s going to take a lot away from us,” she said.
Not everyone is in favor of skill games.
Philadelphia’s mayor, for example, spoke out in favor of the ruling in June, saying in part:
“They should not be easily accessible in neighborhoods that already face high rates of poverty, crime and violence.”
Channel 11 has previously spoken to people concerned about gambling addiction.
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Channel 11 did reach out to a number of state lawmakers about where this legislation stands.
One representative said she hasn’t heard much about it at all.
Another said he expects the deadline to be extended.
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