The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) said on November 10, 2026, that 12,134 of the 12,202 establishments it has visited since October 14 no longer have skill games, a compliance rate of 99.4%. In the same update, the police warned that machines marketed as cashless “sweepstakes” games can also be illegal gambling devices, and that makers and distributors who keep them running face criminal charges.
- Establishments visited
- 12,202
- since October 14
- Cleared of skill games
- 12,134
- establishments
- Compliance rate
- 99.4%
- Machines seized
- 14
- plus $1,913
What the police found
PSP has seized 14 machines and $1,913 since October 14. The other 68 establishments visited were not among those it found free of skill games, and PSP said it is still investigating locations that have not removed the machines voluntarily.
The PSP continues to actively investigate those locations that have not voluntarily removed skill games. These investigations are active and ongoing.
Pennsylvania State Police, November 10 update
When enforcement began on October 14, PSP said six skill game operators and distributors had signed agreements to comply with state law, and that agreements with several others were pending.
Why the machines had to go
On June 15, 2026, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ruled that skill games, often found in taverns, restaurants, social clubs, gas stations and other businesses, are “slot machines” as defined in the Gaming Act. Under that law, only licensed casinos and qualifying licensed truck stops may operate slot machines or video gaming terminals, and only machines the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has inspected and approved.
PSP’s skill games page gives the compliance deadline as October 13, 2026, 120 days after the ruling. From October 14, machines outside PGCB-licensed businesses could be seized and their hosts prosecuted. Unplugging or switching off a machine is not enough, PSP said.
The warning on sweepstakes devices
PSP said officers have found devices with signs from manufacturers or operators claiming the machines are legal because they don’t accept cash and work more like a “sweepstakes” than a slot machine. No manufacturer or operator asked PSP whether the devices were legal before placing them in Pennsylvania businesses, the police said.
According to PSP, a device that takes any form of payment for slot-style games with spinning reels or video displays, and offers a chance to win cash, credit or reimbursement, is a slot machine or gambling device, whether the player pays with cash, a card, a mobile payment service or a cash app. Games that hand out free credits are illegal too if players can keep playing with their own money. The Crimes Code also makes it unlawful for businesses to allow “electronic video monitors” that let players scan QR codes or download apps to play simulated slots, casino games or so-called “sweepstakes” games, PSP said.
What it means for players
Slot machines are legal in Pennsylvania only on premises the PGCB licenses: casinos and qualifying truck stops. The same goes for online play in Pennsylvania: PSP lists conducting interactive gaming without a PGCB license among the offenses unlicensed businesses can be held responsible for.
Businesses that keep hosting the devices risk seizure of the machines, equipment and proceeds, criminal charges and, for liquor-licensed businesses, a citation against the license that can bring a fine or suspension. PSP takes tips at tips@pa.gov or 1-888-292-1919.
What happens next
PSP said it will pursue criminal charges against any manufacturer or distributor that keeps such devices running.
In the state House, HB 2801 from Rep. Russ Diamond would regulate and tax skill games, according to his co-sponsorship memo. It would allow up to five machines in clubs, liquor-licensed bars and restaurants and qualified truck stops, with a 20% tax on gross terminal revenue, and set a 49.9% tax rate on online casino games. The bill’s title also lists, in its part on online gaming, a provision “providing for sweepstakes games prohibited.” Its last recorded action is its referral to the House Gaming Oversight Committee on September 24, 2026.
Elsewhere, Oklahoma’s ban on sweepstakes casinos was due to take effect on November 1, 2026.
