\nI am alarmed to hear that several current members of the General Assembly are proposing a disastrous tax giveaway that I believe would benefit deep-pocketed, out-of-state gaming interests who have been flooding Pennsylvania with political campaign contributions. These interests operate another type of slot machine-style device that is self-serving called a ‘skill game,'” Rendell wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n“Rather than stick with the time-tested 52% tax rate that has served Pennsylvania well for nearly two decades, these legislators want to kill our golden goose and cut these out-of-state interests a sweetheart deal that would tax their machines somewhere between a laughable 16% or a clearly non-uniform 42%,” the former governor continued. “This is the definition of fiscal irresponsibility, in my opinion.\u00a0Our legal gaming industry has already proven that all forms of slot machine-style gaming in the commonwealth, including the type most similar to skill games — specifically, VGTs — can operate successfully at the 52% rate.”<\/span><\/p>\nVGTs, or video gaming terminals, are allowed inside diesel truck stops. VGT revenue last year totaled $41.2 million — down slightly from the machines’ banner year of $42 million set in 2022.<\/span><\/p>\nLegislation Stalls<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n HB 2075 was introduced in February and directed to the House Gaming Oversight Committee. The skill game measure has since sat unacted on.<\/span><\/p>\nWhile the 2024 Pennsylvania General Assembly’s session runs through Nov. 30, the House Gaming Oversight Committee does not currently have any scheduled meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell says skill gaming tax should align with slot machine taxes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":323075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,69293],"tags":[91373,45,88848,82474,81890,13571],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Former Pennsylvania Governor Opposes Skill Gaming Tax<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n