Pennsylvania state and local law enforcement authorities are authorized to begin immediate criminal enforcement and physical seizures against unlicensed electronic skill game terminals across the commonwealth following the expiration of a 120-day judicial stay.
Starting Wednesday, the Pennsylvania State Police and municipal police departments are empowered to confiscate the machines, seize accumulated cash inside the terminals, and pursue criminal charges against non-compliant business owners. Under state criminal statutes, operating unauthorized slot machines carries penalties of up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
The enforcement push follows a landmark June decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which ruled that unregulated electronic skill game terminals constitute illegal slot machines under the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act. Justices rejected arguments that the devices qualify as exempt games of skill, determining that under state gaming laws, slot machines are only legal within licensed casinos and select approved truck stops. The court issued a 120-day stay on its ruling to allow businesses time to remove the devices and to give state lawmakers an opportunity to pass a regulatory and taxation framework.
Because state legislators failed to reach a legislative consensus to regulate the industry before the grace period concluded, state officials confirmed that full-scale law enforcement confiscations and criminal prosecution will move forward immediately.
