Clock ticking on ‘skill games’ deemed illegal by state Supreme Court

(The Center Square) – Lawmakers have less than three months to take some sort of action concerning the estimated 70,000 “skill games” in the state before a stayed Supreme Court decision stirs up a potential political hornet’s nest.

The Legislature and Gov. Josh Shapiro enacted a new state budget on July 12 without including a deal concerning the games, which are unregulated, untaxed, and – under the court decision issued a few weeks earlier – illegal. State leaders have struggled for years to come up with a solution to the multi-sided issue presented by the games, but until the June 15 court ruling there was no real clarity on their status under Pennsylvania law.

“My understanding of the Supreme Court opinion is that they gave 120 days safe harbor for these machi...