Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23)
Senate Bill 1079, which I sponsored to regulate skill games, offers a critical opportunity to protect and grow jobs across Pennsylvania. This bipartisan legislation supports an industry that hundreds of businesses and thousands of workers depend on.
Unfortunately, skill games have become a political target because it is easier for some to dismiss the facts and vilify the machines than to take the time to understand the economic value they bring to our communities.
Skill games have been reviewed by Pennsylvania courts for over a decade. In every case, courts have ruled that games powered by Pace-O-Matic are primarily games of skill, not chance. Yes, there are imitators in the market, but Senate Bill 1079 aims to regulate legitimate skill games and eliminate the bad actors.
Legitimate skill games are local. They are in our VFWs, American Legions and neighborhood bars, not in pop-up-casinos. Senate Bill 1079 ensures that remains the case. It includes provisions to ban rogue operations and sets aside funding to enforce those bans.
Opposition skill games reflects willful ignorance or a deliberate refusal to acknowledge what the courts have already made clear. And that kind of neglect threatens real jobs.
The impact of these games is more far-reaching than most realize. They support the manufacturers who build them, the distributors who deliver them and the operators and technicians who service and maintain them. They help small businesses, veterans’ organizations, social clubs, taverns and convenience stores stay afloat.
These businesses, in turn, employ thousands of Pennsylvanians. Bartenders, clerks, custodians and managers all benefit from the revenue skill games generate.
Thousands of Pennsylvanians earn a paycheck thanks to this industry.
And they pay taxes. Businesses report income from skill games. Employees pay income taxes on their wages. This is not a shadow economy. It is a functioning, tax-contributing sector that has been part of Pennsylvania’s landscape for over 20 years.
Estimates suggest the industry could generate up to $300 million annually. Had we acted even three years ago, the commonwealth might have nearly $1 billion in new revenue.
But the benefit from skill games is more than just numbers on the budget spreadsheet. These are real people whose livelihoods depend on this industry.
And yet, some lawmakers seem willing to sacrifice these jobs in order to protect other interests rather than see skill games for what they are.
Skill games are not a threat. They are an opportunity for jobs, for revenue and for communities across Pennsylvania. It is time we stop playing politics and start protecting the people who depend on this industry.
Sen. Gene Yaw represents the 23rd Senatorial District, consisting of Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties.
CONTACT:
Elizabeth Weitzel
717-787-3280