Pennsylvania Police Find Skill Games Gone From 99.4% of Venues Visited

Four weeks into enforcement, troopers have seized just 14 machines and $1,913, a sign that most cabinets went before the police arrived. The next fight is over cashless "sweepstakes" devices, which the police say are just as illegal.

• The Pennsylvania State Police said on 10 November that troopers have visited 12,202 establishments since 14 October and found no skill games at 12,134 of them, a compliance rate of 99.4%
• In the same period the police seized 14 machines and $1,913, and say investigations of venues that have not removed their machines are "active and ongoing"
• The police warn that devices placed with signs claiming they are legal because they take no cash and work like a "sweepstakes" are still unlawful, and that distributors and hosts could face criminal charges
• The figures follow the end of the Supreme Court's 120-day stay, after which the police said machines could be seized even if switched off
• House Democratic leaders said on 21 October that a deal to legalise and tax the machines had fallen through, leaving the estimated 70,000 terminals lawmakers failed to save without a legal route back

State Police Count 68 Venues Not Yet Compliant

The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) published its first enforcement figures on Tuesday 10 November, more than three weeks after the Supreme Court's stay ran out. Since 14 October, the police said, troopers have visited 12,202 establishments looking for skill games and found that 12,134 "no longer have skill games, which equates to a 99.4% compliance rate". That leaves 68 venues not counted as compliant. In total the PSP has seized 14 machines and $1,913.

The release does not say how many machines remain at those 68 venues, how many establishments across Pennsylvania remain unvisited, or whether anyone has been charged.

On 14 October, the first day of enforcement, the PSP said it had signed agreements with six operators or distributors, which committed to make their devices inoperable that day, remove them "on a continuing rolling basis", list their machines and report weekly. In return the police agreed to hold off seizures until a removal timeline expired. The new release does not say how many machines those operators have taken back, or whether a venue with a disabled machine awaiting collection counts as compliant.

Cashless Devices Are the New Target

Most of the release deals with what has replaced the cabinets. Troopers have found devices carrying signs from manufacturers or operators claiming they are legal "because they do not accept cash/currency and operate more like a 'sweepstakes' than a slot machine", the PSP said, adding that no manufacturer or operator sought its view before placing them.

The police reject the claim. A device that accepts "any form of compensation" for slot-style play with a chance to win cash or credit is a slot machine whatever the payment method, including cards, mobile payments and cash apps, the release says. Under section 5513 of the Crimes Code, it adds, businesses may not allow "electronic video monitors" for simulated gambling, including screens where players scan QR codes or download apps for slot play, casino games or "sweepstakes" games.

The PSP also reads the Supreme Court's June ruling widely: it covers games decided by chance, skill or a mix, "regardless of whether the games rely on a random number generator or a finite pool of outcomes." It says it will pursue criminal charges against any manufacturer or distributor that keeps such devices running, and hosts risk seizure and forfeiture of devices and proceeds.

The Legislature Has Gone Quiet

House Majority Leader Matt Bradford said on 21 October that leaders had "a 100%, comprehensive deal" but that Senate Republicans could not deliver the votes, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reported. Senator Gene Yaw, co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1079, disputed that a deal existed but said it was "too late to do anything now." The Capital-Star reported two session days left for each chamber in November, with a new session in January.

A 99.4% Rate Measures Venues, Not Machines

The headline figure is a share of premises visited, not of the installed base. With an estimated 70,000 machines and only 14 seized, almost all of them were removed or disabled before troopers called, either before the deadline or under the distributor agreements, which the PSP has not quantified. It shows the threat of seizure worked, but as the PSP has not said how venues were chosen, it is not a statewide census.

Sweepstakes Is Where the Fight Moves

The release is aimed at the industry's next move. By naming cashless payment, QR codes, apps and finite-pool designs, the PSP has tried to close the routes that sweepstakes-style products rely on in other parts of the United States. Until a court tests that reading, a host that installs a "no cash" terminal is taking the legal risk on the supplier's word.

The police have cleared the venues they visited with very few seizures, but suppliers are already testing the edges of the ruling. Without a law, the next fight will be over how far the sweepstakes warning reaches.