Veterans and small business owners packed the Springdale Veterans Association near Pittsburgh on Wednesday, urging patrons to call their state legislators before a court-ordered deadline threatens to wipe out a source of income that many local clubs and taverns depend on. The rally centered on pending legislation that would let veteran clubs and local businesses keep their skill-game machines, rather than face confiscation once a Pennsylvania Supreme Court stay expires this fall.
The urgency stems from a June 15 ruling in which the Pennsylvania Supreme Court declared that skill games are illegal slot machines under state law, according to Spotlight PA. The court granted a 120-day stay on enforcement, giving the General Assembly until October 13 to pass a regulatory framework before police can begin confiscating the devices. The decision overturned a string of lower-court rulings that had shielded skill-game operators for years.
At Wednesday’s event, organizers and attendees pressed patrons to contact Rep. Mandy Steele and Sen. Lindsey Williams and ask them to vote for the pending bills, as reported by CBS News Pittsburgh. Local municipal leaders at the rally noted that entertainment taxes tied to skill games provide meaningful revenue for borough budgets, the outlet reported.
What the Bipartisan Bill Would Actually Do
The legislation at the center of the rally, Senate Bill 1079 and House Bill 2213, would cap the number of skill-game terminals statewide at 50,000 and replace the current percentage-based tax structure with a flat $500 monthly fee per machine. Supporters estimate that fee model could generate roughly $300 million in annual state tax revenue, per the same CBS Pittsburgh report…