HARRISBURG – With an October 13th deadline for state lawmakers to regulate skill games in PA, Lebanon County Rep. Russ Diamond plans to introduce two bills to legalize skill games and provide homeowners nearly $1 billion in added property tax relief. Under his proposal, skill games would be regulated and taxed at a rate of 20%, with up to five machines permitted only in clubs, liquor-licensed restaurants and bars, as well as qualified truck stops. The legislation would also reduce the tax rate for casino-based slot machines to 49.9% and set the same rate for all online casino games. The proposal establishes a defined formula to maximize property tax relief, provide reliable annual funding for the Race Horse Development Trust Fund, nearly double support for compulsive and problem gambling treatment, and maintain a dependable revenue stream for the state’s General Fund. Instead of offering property tax relief through the homestead/farmstead exclusion, Diamond’s plan would deliver it with a direct annual gaming dividend payment of at least $702 to PA’s 2.87 million qualified homeowners.
REP. RUSS DIAMOND