HARRISBURG, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Some Pennsylvania lawmakers, led by a state senator from Bucks County, want to stamp out so-called "games of skill" that they claim are undercutting lottery sales.
You may have seen them popping up in convenience stores and other locations. You may have thought those skill games machines were operated by the Pennsylvania Lottery, but they are not.
State Sen. Tommy Tomlinson, a Bucks County Republican, says he will introduce legislation that would erase any questions about their legality.
Tomlinson says he believes a recent update of the state gaming law already makes the skill games illegal, but there is still a problem.
"But lawyers are lawyers, and the court system is the court system. So I think it's important that we try to take this approach," he said.
Officials say the skill games have cost the Lottery an estimated $138 million in sales over the past year.
In a statement, game maker Pennsylvania Skill disputes that allegation and contends that a judge has ruled its game to be predominantly one of skill. But Tomlinson says to say it does not involve gambling is like saying poker is not gambling.
