Published on: June 15, 2026, 04:56h.

Updated on: June 15, 2026, 04:57h.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has reached a decisive conclusion regarding the contentious issue surrounding whether a gaming machine that permits players to modify their payout rates through skill qualifies as gambling. The majority of the court determined that it does.

This ruling marks a significant win for the regulated and highly taxed gaming sector in the state, which has long contended that unregulated skill games have diverted business from traditional slot machines. The PA Supreme Court voted 5-2 affirming that skill games fall under the jurisdiction of the Gaming Act.

In a detailed 66-page ruling, Justice David Wecht emphasized that the existing gaming laws established by the General Assembly necessitate that a skill game be classified as a gambling device.

“The General Assembly has unequivocally addressed this issue, particularly through a 2017 law that included additional terms to the Gaming Act’s definition of ‘slot machine,’ such as ‘skill slot machine’ and ‘hybrid slot machine,’ clarifying that the ‘skill’ aspect of these devices holds no legal weight. It’s not this Court that identifies ‘skill games’ as unlawful; it was the General Assembly that established this nearly ten years prior,” Wecht stated.

“Should stakeholders find the application of these laws problematic, they must seek remedy through the same legislative body that enacted them. The judiciary should not pursue strained interpretations of statutes to circumvent their application,” the majority opinion elaborated.

In summary, the majority concluded that a machine does not evade the legal framework of a slot machine solely due to the inclusion of a skill component.

This is developing news and further updates will follow.