Pennsylvania: Meadville Police Seize More Than 30 Skill-Game Machines

By the time Meadville police came for the skill-game machines, none of them were plugged in, according to both local reports.

Officers have taken more than 30 of the machines from four local businesses since Pennsylvania’s deadline for the devices passed. No one had been charged as of October 22.

Interim City Manager Peter Grella told City Council on October 20 that police had seized approximately 35 machines, the Meadville Tribune reported. Police Chief Michael Stefanucci told WJET that no one was facing charges and that the businesses had cooperated with officers.

Machines the businesses didn’t own

The four businesses (a laundromat, two smoke shop locations and one other business) did not own the machines, Stefanucci said. They told police they had struggled to get the companies that supplied them to come and collect them.

“Most of these businesses were happy to see us,” Stefanucci told the Tribune.

Officers wheeled the machines out on dollies, loaded them onto a city Public Works truck and took them to the Public Works garage.

Each machine came with paperwork from the same Pittsburgh-based law firm. Stefanucci said he suspected they all belonged to one supplier, though police had not yet identified the company.

In at least one case, the chief said, the supplier picked up one or two newer machines in the days before the deadline, left older ones behind and removed the money from an older machine without taking it.

What happens to the machines

Stefanucci told the Tribune that the machines would have to go through court forfeiture proceedings before they could be destroyed. Grella said they would remain in storage pending further state guidance.

Grella said a state grant would cover police overtime and other enforcement expenses for one year, according to the Tribune.

More seizures may follow. Stefanucci said he expects them, and businesses in the City of Meadville or Vernon Township that still have machines can call the department to have them removed, he told WJET.

Why it is happening now

The seizures trace back to a ruling this summer. On June 15, 2026, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the machines are “slot machines” under the state’s Gaming Act, and it gave businesses 120 days before enforcement could start.

That period ended on October 13. The next day, the Pennsylvania State Police announced that enforcement had begun. Our earlier report explains how the October 14 start date was set.

Only licensed casinos and qualifying licensed truck stops may operate slot machines, and only machines the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has approved, according to the State Police.

An unplugged machine is not automatically legal to keep. The State Police say a machine that has only been switched off, unplugged or temporarily disabled is still a slot machine. Statewide, police may seize and forfeit machines, related equipment and proceeds, and file criminal charges when appropriate. In Meadville, police reported taking possession of the machines; WJET reported no criminal charges as of October 22.

Six companies signed deals

Some companies have taken a different route. The State Police said on October 14 that six operators and distributors had signed agreements to comply. They agreed to disable their machines, remove them on a rolling schedule, list every machine and where it is, send weekly updates and give up any machines not removed on time.

In return, State Police agreed to hold off on seizures until each company’s deadline. It was not clear whether any of the Meadville machines were covered by those agreements.

Businesses with questions can consult the Pennsylvania State Police skill-games resource page, which we explained when it launched. Establishments with a liquor license should contact their local Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement office; others should contact their local police department or State Police station.