It’s interesting that an amusement arcade in Cranberry Township sought a conditional use application for a skill game operation when the whole future of the machines remains uncertain.

That’s because, on June 15, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled skill games are considered slot machines and are governed by Pennsylvania’s Gaming Act and Crimes Code.

Skill games look and work like video slot machines. Players insert cash, play a visual puzzle and, if they win, can redeem tickets for cash payouts.

The state’s high court issued a 120-day stay from the date of its decision before it takes effect, allowing Pennsylvania businesses time to remove the machines and Pennsylvania legislators time to consider amendments to the Gaming Act and Crimes Code to potentially permit licensing of skill games machines.

After the high court’s decision, the Pennsylvania State Police announced simply turning off the nearly 70,000 machines estimated to be in use across the state is insufficient. Businesses must physically remove the devices from their buildings by the deadline to avoid criminal charges and having the machines confiscated.

The deadline for the removal of the machines, which have become prevalent in social clubs, convenience stores, laundromats and bars, is Oct. 13. Cranberry Township supervisors voted on the arcade’s application Thursday and chose not to approve it.

The arcade’s owners would only have had two more weeks to operate the eight skill machines until, barring any move by the state legislature in the meantime, it would have had to remove the machines anyway.

Our state lawmakers so far haven’t taken any action.

Machine maker Pace-O-Matic thinks a $500 annual fee for each machine seems like a reasonable way for the state to share in the revenue generated by the machines.

However, the state’s casino industry objects to this, calling the skill games unregulated slot machines that cut into casino revenue without having to face the high tax rates and strict oversight casinos face.

The legislature returned to session Sept. 28, which gives it very little time to take up the skill game machine question and pass legislation in time for the Oct. 13 deadline.

It raises questions over why an application was even brought before Cranberry Township when an approval could have become a moot point in a matter of weeks.

— EF