Last Tuesday, Commonwealth Court Judge Ellen Ceisler delivered a ruling on a request that was filed by Pace-O-Matic. The company, which is known for designing and assembling gaming machines under the Pennsylvania Skill brand, sought to have an injunction against the seizure of their machines extended.
There has been a tug of war between Pace-O-Matic and the state’s police department regarding the legality of their machines. While the police and other stakeholders in the gaming industry argue that the games are not legal, Pace-O-Matic is hell-bent on proving that they are a part of the Pennsylvania Skill brand of games and hence totally legal.
Pennsylvania State Police scored a little win on Tuesday when the ruling was made. The Commonwealth Court judge lifted the ban that had imposed against the police with regards to the seizure of Pace-O-Matic’s skills games. According to Judge Ceisler, the injunction that the machine manufacturer was seeking would not be appropriate particularly because it may affect the investigations negatively. She also pointed out that such a relief for the company had the potential of significantly affecting public interest in the matter.
The existence of the Pennsylvania Skill terminals has been mostly thanks to previous court rulings which have all been in their favor. These gaming terminals have been under the scrutiny of state regulators for quite some time now. A number of parties have pointed out that the terminals are essential slot machines that are not regulated like other forms of gambling. Is this the case?
Are They Legal or Not?
Even though the police will now be allowed to resume the seizure of the gaming terminals, Pace-O-Matic’s is technically still operating a legal business. Unfortunately, the recent court ruling by Judge Ellen Ceisler does not answer the question of whether these Pennsylvania Skill terminals are legal or not.
According to Ryan Tarkowski, the Communications Director for Pennsylvania State Police, the court’s decision is going to go along way in helping them to fight illegal gambling. He further assured the public that they are committed to ensuring fair and thorough investigations on businesses that are operating illegal gambling activities.
The case of whether the skill games are illegal or legal is still in court and we will have to wait till the final ruling is delivered on that later this year. This decision will be the ultimate solution to the saga that has spanned over several years. Pace-O-Matic has already made a strong argument regarding the reliance of its games on user interaction rather than luck. Now, we are eagerly waiting for the evidence the state police will present after their investigations.
