Several casinos in Pennsylvania are committedly fighting against the recent legislation that legalized skill games in the state. Their appeal has been made to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
The Forefront of Legal Opposition to Skill Games Ruling: Parx Casino and Others
Parx Casino Bensalem and Shippensburg are among the vanguard of establishments lodging an appeal with the Supreme Court. The determined resistance to these rulings is palpable.
The fight rages on, in spite of the verdict from the Commonwealth Court. Parx Casino, along with others, insist that skill games pose a considerable danger to the well-managed, regulated, and supervised casino sector of the state. Their appeal underscores this point.
The appeal argues that these games – free from gaming taxes and regulatory supervision – dangerously undercut the regulated casino industry, a sector which gives thousands of people work, supports countless more jobs, and contributes significant tax revenue to the state’s coffers.
With quite a number of Pennsylvania casinos – including Penn National Race Course, Mohegan Pennsylvania, Hollywood Casino and more – joining the legal dispute, it has grabbed the attention of legal analysts.
The Supreme Court’s appeal focuses on the potential fallout of the Commonwealth Court’s judgement, declaring that the lower court’s resolution troped the door for unlicensed, unregulated, and unlawful slot machines to reign over the Pennsylvania gaming scene, contradicting the intentions of the General Assembly.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Sides with Casinos in Legal Stand-Off Against Skill Games
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office signaled its intent to appeal last month and has officially done so this week. The office has aligned itself with the casinos, challenging the lawfulness of skill games. Both submissions contend that skill games need to be categorized as slot machines under Pennsylvania’s legal structure.
Apart from the technical legal aspects, the issues presented in the briefs extend to social responsibility. They highlight the fact that unregulated skill games fail to comply with the same restrictions and oversight as regulated ones.
The question of regulation and taxation encompasses the debate on skill games in Pennsylvania; their popularity and the ensuing controversy is a growing discussion topic among businessmen. The Commonwealth Court’s recognition of the legality of earnings from skill games could lead the way to possible regulation, as indicated by its ruling last month.
This week, Mike Barley from Pace-O-Matic’s Public Relations department appealed to casino operators to rethink their views on skill games. He emphasized the importance of regulation for small businesses. The recent judicial victory has given hope to supporters of skill games, as they look forward to efficient regulation in the foreseeable future.
Sen. Gene Yaw’s proposal is an attempt to introduce regulation and taxation that could potentially generate approximately $300 million for the state in its maiden year.
Casino operators, however, continue to resist such regulations. Barley blames them for obstructing the process, while Pace-O-Matic advocates for the regulation of skill games and implores lawmakers to take the necessary actions.
