(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Sean Simmers, Caption for Photo: Skill games at SkillGame Kingdom June 10, 2025. Sean Simmers of PennLive Patriot News)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Attorney General Dave Sunday is offering guidance for Pennsylvania businesses with terminals for “skill games,” and he advises those business owners to take steps of compliance by October 14th or risk law enforcement action on their premises.

Video game devices that are not housed at licensed casinos or licensed truck stops in Pennsylvania can be seized by law enforcement officials under the law.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court made a ruling on June 15th, 2026 and it found that those alleged “skill games” are slot machines as defined by the State of Pennsylvania’s Gaming Act.

Distributors, vendors and manufacturers that refuse to remove their slot machines from businesses are reminded of the potential for criminal charges if they continue to maintain devices for operation.

Powering off or unplugging these machines is not sufficient to comply with the law, so it is suggested for business owners to contact their distributors and vendors and demand the removal of these devices from their premises to avoid law action from law enforcement.

A slot machine also does not stop being a slot machine if it has been turned off simply, unplugged, or disabled temporarily, which allows it to be readily operated.