Pennsylvania: Fire Companies and Veterans Rally for Skill Games Before October 13 Deadline

“Spaghetti suppers don’t cut it anymore.” That was how Vicki Heiser, of the Deer Lake & West Brunswick Fire Company, summed up the money problem facing volunteer fire companies at a skill-games rally at the Pennsylvania Capitol on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, City & State Pennsylvania reported.

About 200 supporters gathered in Harrisburg to urge lawmakers to regulate and tax the machines before the state’s October 13 compliance deadline, WITF reported. City & State said the crowd included small business owners, veterans, volunteer firefighters and state lawmakers.

“Put it up for a vote”

Republican state Rep. Doyle Heffley urged legislative leaders to bring skill-games legislation to a House vote before the deadline. “One vote. Put it up for a vote,” he said, according to City & State.

Heffley also said he would introduce an amendment on the House floor to delay enforcement for another six months. That was his announced plan at the rally. The reports did not show that an amendment had been filed or voted on.

The call for more time follows earlier six-month skill-games reprieve proposals covered by GameEmpress in September.

Time on the calendar was short. City & State reported on October 6 that Wednesday, October 7, was the last scheduled session day for both chambers before the court’s deadline, with lawmakers due back in Harrisburg on October 19.

Agreement has also been hard to reach. Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman said on September 15 that he was “not overly optimistic” that lawmakers would pass a plan to regulate the machines, pointing to a dispute over where the tax revenue should go, CBS 21 reported.

What supporters told lawmakers

Speakers said the machines bring in money for small businesses, veterans’ groups and fire companies. Doug Sprankle, who owns a grocery store and is president of the Pennsylvania Tavern and Players Association, said the terminals increase foot traffic and that customers often buy other goods while they are in the store, WITF reported.

Heiser said machine revenue helps fire companies pay for equipment. Rusty Miller, of Mechanicsburg VFW Post 6704, described the machines as a vital source of income for nonprofit organizations, City & State reported.

These are supporters’ accounts. Opponents have argued that the machines attract crime and that the cash businesses keep on hand to pay winnings has led to robberies, City & State noted.

What the deadline means

On June 15, 2026, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that skill games are slot machines under the state’s Gaming Act. GameEmpress previously explained the October 13 skill-games compliance deadline and removal guidance from Pennsylvania State Police (PSP).

PSP’s October 5 notice identifies October 13, 2026, as the compliance deadline. Heffley’s announcement at the rally did not itself change that deadline.

From October 14, skill-game machines outside businesses licensed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board are subject to seizure, and the establishments holding them to criminal prosecution, the agency said. Enforcement may include seizing and forfeiting machines, associated equipment and proceeds, and filing charges where appropriate. Switching off or unplugging an otherwise working machine is not enough.

PSP has also issued guidance for businesses, covered in GameEmpress’s report on the new skill-games help page.

Featured image: File photo of the Pennsylvania State Capitol dome in Harrisburg in June 2022. Photo: Farragutful / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)