The judge reverses  Philly's ban on skill games

The judge reverses  Philly's ban on skill games

 A Philadelphia city law that prohibited "skill games" at the majority of city establishments was rejected by the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania on December 6.
 Skills in Pennsylvania games
 The proprietors of Pennsylvania's casinos and the industry at large have long fought the contentious machines, which look and pay out money like slot machines but claim to need a certain amount of ability to win.  Skill games are not subject to taxes or regulations.  Additionally, they lack player protection assurances like responsible gaming policies.

 Distributors, operators, and Pace-O-Matic (POM), a Georgia-based company that creates the well-known game series known as "Pennsylvania Skill," have, however, won multiple court rulings rejecting law enforcement's confiscation of the game.

 March saw the passage of a ban.
 According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the most recent ruling deals with a skill game ban that was approved by the Philadelphia city council in March and signed by Mayor Cherelle Parker.  The prohibition was contested by Harry Sandhu, the owner of the nearby petrol station where the skill games are operated, and G&B Amusements, the distributor of the games.  The restriction was maintained by a judge in a common plea court.  A motion for an injunction to stop the ordinance's enforcement was also turned down by the judge.

 Patricia A. McCullough, the Commonwealth Court judge, referenced a ruling that stated that games that are not found in traditional casinos are exempt from the state's gaming regulations in her ruling in favour of the skill-game operators.  "POM games that are situated outside of regulated facilities are neither illegal nor regulated as the law stands today," McCullough wrote.

 The state appealed that earlier court ruling.  The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has not yet scheduled a hearing in that matter.  The same court would hear Philadelphia's appeal of McCullough's ruling.

 "Pace-O-Matic is happy."
 Pace-O-Matic immediately commended the choice.  "Pace-O-Matic is pleased, and not surprised, that Commonwealth Court agrees the ban passed by Philadelphia city council is unlawful," said Mike Barley, a spokesman for POM, in a statement from Play Pennsylvania.  For small businesses in Philadelphia that rely on the extra revenue they generate from customers playing the Pennsylvania Skill games they host in their facilities, lifting it is a win.  This prohibition only served to hurt companies that are already having financial difficulties.

 In the meanwhile, the ruling challenges a comparable prohibition enacted by the Philadelphia suburb of Bensalem.  It is home to Parx, the most prosperous casino in the state.  The Play Pennsylvania article states that the ban is currently on hold until the appeals in the other cases are decided.

 The industry has been fighting the spread of unlicensed skill games for years.  The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers and the American Gaming Association have joined forces to oppose the devices.

 Casino owners in Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against the state in July, arguing that their 50%+ tax rate on slot machine profits was illegal.  They claimed that because skill games are exempt from taxes, they are unfairly taxed.