Overview
- Lawmakers filed an emergency petition Tuesday seeking to extend the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s 120-day stay to Feb. 10, 2027 and then withdrew that request the next day, leaving the court’s Oct. 13 deadline in place.
- The Supreme Court ruled on June 15 that widely used “skill-game” terminals meet the state Gaming Act’s definition of slot machines and paused enforcement for 120 days to give legislators time to act.
- Legislators say they are drafting a statewide licensing plan that would require central monitoring, age checks and a proposed $500 monthly fee per terminal with revenue directed to transit, infrastructure and volunteer fire companies, but no bill has been formally introduced.
- Pennsylvania State Police and other officials have urged businesses to remove machines before Oct. 13, warned that simply turning machines off may not prevent seizures, and set up resources for owners facing potential enforcement.
- The deadline threatens tens of thousands of terminals, the small businesses that host them, and related vendors, and the next key developments to watch are a formal bill introduction, any new court filings, and whether the legislature can pass a statute before enforcement begins.