by Alex Lloyd Gross
October 13, 2026 is the deadline for businesses across the commonwealth to remove skill games. These games are routinely found in bars, diners, and gas stations. The PA Supreme Court ruled that these machines are slot machines .
Only licensed casinos and qualifying licensed “truck stop establishments” may legally possess and operate slot machines or video gaming terminals that have been inspected and approved for operation by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Further, pursuant to section 5513 of the Crimes Code, distributors and manufacturers of such machines are cautioned that it is a criminal offense to maintain, assemble, set up, make, sell or lease slot machines unless they are licensed and authorized to do so by the PGCB.
Simply unplugging the skill game is not sufficient, state police said.To be clear, a slot machine does not cease being a slot machine if it has simply been turned off, unplugged, or temporarily disabled, allowing it to be readily operated. If a distributor or vendor is unwilling to remove operable machines after the deadline, the establishment is encouraged to proactively reach out to PSP to assist in their removal to ensure compliance with applicable law.
Business owners should contact their distributor or vendor who owns the machines. Including ticket redemption machines. These machines can be confiscated and the store owner fined for every machine found on the premises.