HARRISBURG – Bipartisan legislation is being introduced to regulate skill games in PA and crack down on illegal gambling and nuisance locations. The proposal incorporates language to prohibit skill games in so-called “stop-and-go” stores. Stop-and-gos are understood to be businesses with restaurant or eating place retail liquor licenses that operate as convenience stores or delis, but fail to maintain minimum requirements for licensure. Senate Bill 1079 proposes a $500-per-skill-game-machine monthly fee, which will generate revenue almost immediately. Revenue projections remain at approximately $300 million annually, and the new proposal allocates nearly half of the overall funding directly to public transportation and infrastructure costs, as well as to the state’s Clean Streams Fund. The bill will strengthen penalties for those who operate unlicensed and illegal games and gambling devices. It also includes a valid ID requirement to play, a limit on the number of machines per establishment, and requires games to only exist as a secondary source of revenue for the establishment. The regulatory framework requires games to be connected to a terminal collection and control system that allows the state to monitor all transactions, much like it does with the lottery.
