Pennsylvania State Police open tip line as skill games ban takes effect

The Pennsylvania State Police are asking the public to report businesses that continue to operate or house skill games, which became illegal slot machines under a state Supreme Court order that took effect at 12:01 a.m. on 14 October 2026. The machines were required to be powered down and removed statewide after the court's stay of enforcement ended on 13 October. The PSP said venues that continue to house or operate skill games risk criminal prosecution and immediate seizure of the machines.

The state's highest court determined in June that the devices satisfy the legal description of a slot machine. Enforcement was then paused by that court through 13 October 2026. Members of the public who know of properties violating the ban can contact the PSP by email or phone to report them.

Before the ban took effect, roughly 70,000 of the machines were in operation statewide, and the report calls enforcement of the law a herculean task for the PSP. Under the traditional revenue split, the venue hosting a machine received approximately one-third of its monthly earnings, while the manufacturer and the route distributor or service provider divided the rest.

Georgia-based Pace-O-Matic, which the report identifies as the leading software provider of skill games in Pennsylvania and the supplier of the Pennsylvania Skill cabinets, said the industry has already announced layoffs. The company said the loss of skill game revenue would have immediate consequences for American Legions, VFWs, volunteer fire companies, emergency service organisations, fraternal clubs and small businesses. It urged lawmakers to pass legislation that regulates and taxes skill games while protecting the organisations, businesses and communities that have relied on the revenue for a decade.

Legislators from both parties in Harrisburg have voiced backing for legalising and taxing the machines, yet disputes over regulatory details such as upfront fees and effective tax rates are cited as the reason a bill has not reached Governor Josh Shapiro. The governor, for his part, has said Republicans in Harrisburg are at fault for the absence of a skill games bill. "My hope is that Republican leadership in the state Senate does their jobs and puts this bill on my desk," Shapiro said.

The court-ordered deadline for skill games legislation has passed. The final day of the 2026 legislative session is 30 November. Unless lawmakers convene to pass a compromise bill before the session expires, the report says the state's multi-million-dollar skill game industry faces continued enforcement statewide.