We have covered casino skill games extensively here at This Week in Gambling. Now, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has ruled that video game machines are considered slot machines under Pennsylvania law. Those games were manufactured and distributed by the company POM under the name ‘Pennsylvania Skill’.

“With this decision, we urge the Pennsylvania State Police, the Office of Attorney General, police departments and District Attorneys across the state to enforce Pennsylvania law to halt the proliferation of thousands of illegal Pennsylvania Skill slot machines now in convenience stores, bars, restaurants and other establishments in communities across the state,” said Thomas C. Bonner Group VP / Legal & Chief Counsel for Parx Casino.

POM had argued that their machines were a “game of skill” and therefore not a slot machine under Pennsylvania law. The manufacture, set up, sale, lease, or ownership of a “slot machine” for gambling purposes is illegal under the Pennsylvania Crime Code, Title 18 Section 5513, and these machines are subject to forfeiture under the law.

Casino skill games and online skill-based games are games in which the outcome of the game is determined by the player’s physical skill, such as a fast reaction time or their dexterity. They could also depend on mental skills, such as logic abilities, strategic thinking, and trivia knowledge. As in most games of skill, the definition “skill” has legal meaning, as playing games of chance for money may be illegal where skill games are allowed.

You can read more on this casino skill games ruling at YogoNet.