Pa. Supreme Court denies lawmakers’ request to extend skill games deadline

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Friday denied three state lawmakers’ request to extend the skill games deadline, leaving the machines found in bars, clubs, gas stations and fire halls open to seizure starting Wednesday.

The decision means the court’s ruling against the machines takes effect before the Legislature is scheduled to meet again. Neither chamber returns until Oct. 19, six days after the court’s grace period ends Tuesday. Legislative records show six pending skill games bills have each been sent to a committee and none has come up for a vote.

The one-paragraph order turned down Sens. Gene Yaw, R-Lycoming, and Anthony H. Williams, D-Philadelphia, and Rep. Jonathan Fritz, R-Wayne. It gave no reason.

The court ruled June 15 that the terminals are slot machines under state law. It put that ruling on hold for 120 days, a pause that runs out Tuesday.

What businesses face

Only licensed casinos and truck stops may keep these machines, according to Pennsylvania State Police, which said any others are subject to seizure as of Wednesday.

Unless the Legislature acts, police may move against businesses that still have them, Attorney General Dave Sunday’s office said in a Sept. 29 release. Officers can take the machines and the money tied to them, and prosecutors can file criminal charges, the office said.

Unplugging a machine is not enough, according to both agencies. They tell businesses to have the machine owners haul them away. State police say to call them if a vendor refuses.

“We do not want to see searches and seizures at storefronts or bar, social club and restaurant establishments — we would much rather business owners and social clubs comply with the law and take steps to get these illegal devices out of their places of business,” Sunday said in the release.

What lawmakers have on the table

Two House bills would put off the ban for six months, until April 13, 2027. House Bill 2793, by Rep. Manuel Guzman, D-Berks, would keep the machines’ current legal status until then. House Bill 2795, by Rep. Brad Roae, R-Crawford, would temporarily authorize them.

Both went to the House Gaming Oversight Committee on Sept. 24, and neither has moved since.

Roae wrote in a memo to colleagues that a permanent law was unlikely by the deadline because few voting days remained and lawmakers had not reached agreement.

A third proposal, a two-bill package from Rep. Russ Diamond, R-Lebanon, went to the same committee that day. Rep. Jeanne McNeill, D-Lehigh, is one of its four cosponsors.

Two older bills to license the machines have been waiting longer. A Senate bill by Yaw and Williams has been in committee since Nov. 11, 2025, and a House bill since Feb. 11.

Both chambers are scheduled to meet Oct. 19, 20, and 21. After that, the House calendar lists Nov. 9 and 10, and the Senate’s lists Nov. 17 and 18.