PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — City Council is back to in-person hearings for the first time in nearly four years, and the very first one — last week — showed how different it can be from a Zoom hearing.
After a long and sometimes heated hearing, the Public Safety Committee voted to advance a bill that would prohibit so-called skill game machines in corner stores and other spots where they may create a nuisance. The machines operate like arcade video games but can pay out like casino games. They are totally unregulated and untaxed.
Sponsor Curtis Jones said the machines create a dangerous environment, drawing would-be thieves lying in wait for someone to win.
“It’s a preponderance of things: When you sell loosie cigarettes; when you sell liquor by the drink and when you have these kinds of gambling machines, it almost creates a watering hole for prey.”
The bill has already passed City Council once, but Mayor Jim Kenney pocket-vetoed it by not signing it before leaving office, so this is the second hearing on the matter. The first one, last year, on Zoom, was quick with no opposition. This one took 3 ½ hours and was dominated by opponents like store owner Akash Patel, who said his store would suffer without the income from the machines.
“Why are you punishing honest, hard-working, tax-paying constituents?” he said in testimony.
Ari Marshand, who owns Xtreme Skill Games, Inc., said regulation is needed but not a ban.
“Right now, Philadelphia is known around the country as the Wild West of skills games. It’s an absolute atrocity what is happening in Philadelphia,” said Marshand, who has proposed turning the machines into revenue generators for the city by requiring permits that would also allow the city to track numbers and locations of the machines.
Supporters of the bill, such as Andy Toy of the Community Development Corporations Association, testified they create an unsavory atmosphere.
“Because of the amounts of cash at these locations and people hanging out for hours, they can become hostile and potentially unsafe places for others in the community,” Toy said.
Patel got into sometimes heated exchanges with councilman Jeff Young, attending his first hearing as a Council member.
“Should we as a city allow people to shoot dice outside your business establishment?” Young asked.
“Absolutely not. That would be very dangerous,” said Patel.
“My point is about the loitering that happens in these communities where these machines are,” said Young.
While City Council grapples with the issue, Gov. Josh Shapiro has recently proposed imposing state taxes on the machines.
In the end, the committee voted unanimously to advance the bill. It now goes to the full Council for a vote.