As a senior woman who likes to stop into a casino every now and then, I thought that I knew what a slot machine looked like. When I saw what I thought to be a slot machine show up in a few of the grocery stores that I frequent, I was surprised. I didn’t know that you could have a slot machine in the grocery store, and then I started hearing the term “skill games” in reference to machines outside of a casino. So here is my question: What type of skill do you have to have to play a “skill game”? Here is what I found out. Skill games differ from slot machines by requiring memory, pattern recognition, or quick thinking to win, rather than relying entirely on chance. Some states (like Pennsylvania and Texas) allow them; others (like Virginia) banned them, while they remain in a legal gray area in a handful of other states. Despite being marketed as games of skill, many users develop compulsive behaviors, financial loss, and addiction-like symptoms. The question of legality often boils down to whether the outcome is determined more by chance or by the player’s ability. That debate came to a head back in February 2024 when a Texas judge ruled that the popular Pace-O-Matic machines are indeed skill-based and therefore legal under state law. However, other states have taken the opposite view.
Let’s look a little closer to home in the state of Pennsylvania. Attorney General Dave Sunday is offering guidance for Pennsylvania businesses with skill game terminals, advising those business owners to take compliance steps by October 14, 2026, 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 High Court ruling commences applicable enforcement action on October 14, 2026. “Oh my, that was yesterday!” 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. There you have it. Now you have to take your “skills” somewhere else.
Email the columnist at debbienorrell@aol.com
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