Skill Gaming Devices Banned In Bensalem Township

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —With gaming devices showing up throughout the township consistently, the Bensalem Township Council is putting the lid on the skill games.

At its meeting on Monday night, the Bensalem Township Council reviewed and adopted a new ordinance updating current laws and regulations relating to local gaming devices and games of chance within the township.

The new ordinance —which takes effect in 10 days —prohibits them.

For the last two years, Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo and Public Safety Director William McVey have been monitoring the number of local gaming devices, commonly referred to as “skill games.”

Township officials said the devices have been installed in convenience stores, smoke shops, gas stations, delicatessens, and other establishments.

The number of unregulated and unmonitored gaming devices "has grown significantly over the past few years," officials said.

Township officials estimate the number of the devices to be at "a staggering number" of roughly 170.

Several criminal incidents related to them that have occurred locally in the last year have prompted officials to confer with Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn regarding this growing problem and the township’s concerns regarding the impact these machines are having on the health, safety, and welfare of Bensalem and its neighboring communities, and especially on the township's children and teenagers residing within our Township.

The mayor, McVey, and the district attorney all agreed that changes in the law needed to be made.

Schorn proposed the ordinance to the council for its consideration and approval.

The newly adopted changes to the township’s laws and regulations prohibit the skill game machines anywhere in the township except for those locations holding an active Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board liquor license.

Locations holding such liquor licenses will be required to segregate the Local Gaming Devices within their establishments to a local Gaming Area that can be monitored by employees and surveillance video that cannot be accessed by minors.

The ordinance imposes fines and penalties if an establishment is not in compliance with the new laws and regulations, including a fine of up to $1,000 plus costs for each day that an establishment does not comply, as well as the issuance of a Cease and Desist Order and the revocation of the Use and Occupancy Permit by officials if a property owner or operator fails to remove any Local Gaming Devices after receiving an order to do so.

The new ordinance will help officials remove the devices from various establishments where they are visible and accessible to our children. Removing these devices from many of our retail establishments will also eliminate loitering and promote a safer environment for all those who shop and make purchases at our many local businesses, officials said.