Industry news
The businesses, decisions, and developments shaping cash-prize skill gaming.
ACROSS THE INDUSTRY
All news ↗Industry wire.
Recent coverage from other publishers. Follow each headline to read the original reporting.
House Democrats say GOP discord dashed hope for a skill games bill this year ↗
Central Pennsylvania skill games operator announces layoffs ↗
Skill games saga ends with outlawed gambling machines removed … for now ↗
The legislature didn’t act on skill games by the Pa. Supreme Court’s deadline. What happens now? ↗
State Treasurer returns unclaimed property to American Legion as skill games deadline passes ↗
Skill games deadline has come and gone; what happens now? ↗
Skill Games removal deadline passed, what comes next? ↗
Pennsylvania businesses removing skill games ahead of midnight’s deadline ↗
Skill games demolished in Altoona as state deadline arrives ↗
Altoona workers face layoffs as hundreds of skill games are pulled ↗
Pa. nonprofits, businesses look to replace revenue from skill games ↗
Business owners prepare for looming PA skill games deadline ↗
Skill game machine removal deadline this week ↗
Pennsylvania Supreme Court denies deadline extension for skill games ↗
Pa. Attorney General’s Office opposes extending skill games deadline ↗
Supreme Court denies request to extend deadline for skill games ↗
Shapiro, Garrity debate skill games as zero hour for the industry closes in ↗
Pennsylvania Governors Debate: Shapiro, Garrity discuss skill games ↗
Pennsylvania Governor’s Debate: Shapiro, Garrity debate skill games ↗
Bipartisan proposal would extend deadline on skill games into 2027 ↗
Lawmakers call on state Supreme Court to extend deadline for skill games ↗
Lawmakers withdraw request for state Supreme Court to extend skill games deadline ↗
With the deadline for skill games in PA fast approaching, supporters continue to rally ↗
With skill games deadline looming, supporters rally at Pa. Capitol ↗
Diamond urges House leaders not to allow skill games deadline to pass without a solution ↗
Pennsylvania State Police launches informational page regarding skill games deadline ↗
What Happens at a Texas Legislative Hearing on Skill Games?
A plain-language walkthrough of how Texas House committee hearings on skill-game and eight-liner bills actually work, from notice requirements to witness registration and public records.
City of Fort Worth v. Rylie: A Timeline of Texas's Eight-Liner Ruling
A decade of litigation over Fort Worth's game room ordinance ended with Texas courts holding that eight-liner machines are unconstitutional lotteries, not protected skill devices.
How to Verify a Texas Coin-Operated Machine Permit Before You Buy Equipment
Before paying for used skill machines in Texas, confirm the seller's Comptroller license and each machine's individual tax permit. Neither transfers automatically with a sale under Occupations Code Chapter 2153.
Texas Skill Machine Enforcement Crackdown: Is It Actually Getting Tougher in 2026?
A new Texas AG opinion, two large multi-agency raids and a conflicting appellate ruling define the 2026 skill-machine enforcement picture. Here is what is confirmed and what remains unsettled.
Pace-O-Matic vs Banilla Games: How Their Payout Models Differ
Pace-O-Matic and Banilla Games take opposite commercial approaches to skill machines: revenue-share ownership versus outright sale, with different spin logic and payout claims operators should weigh separately from legal status.
Can a Skill Machine Manufacturer Be Sued Over a Robbery at the Host Store?
A Philadelphia store clerk shot during an armed robbery has sued skill game maker Banilla Games, arguing the machines' cash-handling design, not their legality, created the danger.
Why 'Skill' Branding Won't Stop a Machine Seizure in Texas
In Texas, whether a machine is legally a skill game depends on Penal Code 47.01's chance-in-any-part test, not on branding, and two conflicting 2026 rulings prove it.
Pennsylvania VFW chief urges electronic pull-tab reform
VFW state commander Jim Brown's September 3 column calls for electronic pull-tab legislation. His advocacy and existing charitable-gaming rules are distinct.
Yaw renews push for Pennsylvania skill-game bill
Gene Yaw used his September 8 newsletter to press for a vote on SB 1079. The official record reviewed still shows a committee referral, not enactment.
San Antonio councilwoman seeks an eight-liner ban
September 8 reporting describes Teri Castillo's September 4 request for a citywide eight-liner ban. A request is not an adopted ordinance.
G2E 2026: dates and a research agenda for operators
G2E runs September 28 through October 1 at The Venetian Expo. The hall opens September 29; use a focused agenda to investigate equipment and operational technology.
Nebraska cash devices: approval, licenses and locations
Nebraska's cash-device rules distinguish device approval, distributor licensing, operator licensing and the specific location. Verify each layer.
Virginia skill games: the veto and the statute to read
Separate Virginia's April veto, proposed licensing language and the current statutory definitions before relying on a supplier's operating claim.
Connected skill machines: a software security checklist
Use NIST's IoT guidance to ask concrete questions about cabinet identity, remote access, software updates, records and support after the sale.
Texas machine revenue-share contracts: read the deductions
Texas law distinguishes current-year and next-year tax reimbursement and limits compensation to a machine's bailee or lessee. Read the percentage in context.
Questions to ask before choosing a skill-machine vendor
Build a purchasing record around the exact product, contracting entity, service obligations and documents behind a vendor's compliance claims.
Texas noncash prize exception: what the $5 rule says
The Texas amusement-device exception limits reward types as well as wholesale value. A $5 headline leaves out conditions that matter.
Texas machine tax permits: fees, licenses and renewals
The business license and per-machine tax are separate. Here are the Comptroller's on-time fees, renewal date and forms to check before filing.