PITTSBURGH — Skill games could become illegal in Pennsylvania in less than three weeks.
Lawmakers have been working on legislation to regulate them since the state Supreme Court ruled in June that they are, essentially, slot machines.
“It’s critically imperative we get this skill game issue fixed,” State Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R - Butler and Lawrence County, said.
He calls it a top priority.
“We’ll be going back to Harrisburg on Monday. I’m hoping we can get this done in the coming week,” Bernstine said.
There are multiple pieces of legislation in the works.
Both Senate Bill 1079 and House Bill 2213 would install $500 per terminal monthly fees.
“If they make us pay $500 per month, guess what? We’re not going to have machines. We don’t even make that much,” Frank Svitek of the Brackenridge American Legion said.
He believes nonprofits should be exempted.
“We’re a nonprofit organization. We donate money when we can. That’s part of what we like to donate, the profits we make.”
If a bill cannot get passed in time, Bernstine says the next best thing is to pass an extension.
“The first thing we should do is provide an extension to keep things status quo for three or six months,” he said.
There has been some debate on whether an extension can be passed by the legislature on a court order.
In the meantime, state police are warning businesses that machine owners could be prosecuted starting on October 14.
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