Attorney General Sunday: Pa. Businesses with ‘Skill Games’ Devices not Removed by Oct. 14 Risk Law Enforcement Action
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday is offering guidance for Pennsylvania businesses with “skill games” terminals, advising those business owners to take compliance steps by October 14 or risk law enforcement action on their premises.
Under the law, video game devices not housed at licensed casinos or licensed truck stops in Pennsylvania can be seized by law enforcement officials. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court in June found that those alleged “skill games” are slot machines as defined by the Commonwealth’s Gaming Act.
That ruling high court commences applicable enforcement action on Oct. 14.
“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,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Collaborating with our law enforcement partners, my office will act in accordance with the law which prohibits these machines outside of licensed gaming facilities.”
Unless action is taken by the Pennsylvania Legislature before Oct. 14, Pennsylvania State Police and other law enforcement agencies may take enforcement action against businesses which continue to possess, operate and/or maintain such machines after that date. Enforcement actions may include seizing and forfeiting the machines, associated equipment and money associated with the operation of the machines, and/or filing criminal charges where deemed appropriate. In addition, distributors, vendors and manufacturers refusing to remove their slot machines from businesses are reminded of the potential for criminal charges should they continue to maintain devices for operation.
Powering off or unplugging machines is not sufficient to comply with the law. To be clear, a slot machine does not cease being a slot machine if it has simply been turned off, unplugged, or temporarily disabled, allowing it to be readily operated.
We encourage businesses to contact their vendors/distributors and demand removal of these devices from their premises to avoid law enforcement action.
More information is available HERE.
###
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
