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Compliance Updates

Judge Rules that Pennsylvania Skill Games are ‘Devices of Skill’

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A Monroe County judge has ruled that Pennsylvania Skill games are legal. Click here to read the order from Monroe County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jonathan Mark.

Games were seized in 2022 from a small business during a seizure carried out by the Monroe County District Attorney’s office in coordination with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Liquor Control and Enforcement (BLCE) even though skill games have been deemed legal by courts of law.

In his ruling, Judge Mark said Pennsylvania Skill ‘devices are games of skill and not games of chance’.

In a Monroe County ruling earlier this year on the seized skill games, a judge reprimanded county prosecutors alleging misconduct in the investigation and their prosecution of legal skill games. Click here to read the Monroe County order.

“The court finds that the Commonwealth improperly withheld and misrepresented material evidence relative to the issuance of the search warrant in this matter and that such conduct warrants the suppression of the seized property,” Monroe County Common Pleas Judge Jennifer Harlacher Sibum wrote.

Pennsylvania Skill games also have been deemed legal skill games by other courts this year. Pace-O-Matic won a return of property motion in York County. This property – gaming machines, related equipment and cash – was wrongfully seized by BLCE. Click here to read the York County order.

In addition, a Dauphin County judge ruled in favor of the games and against county prosecutors this year. Click here to read the Dauphin County ruling.

“Initially, it is this Court’s belief that the Commonwealth’s investigation shows case bias,” Dauphin County Common Pleas Judge Andrew H Dowling wrote. “The Commonwealth is seeking to make all machines like the POM Machines into illegal gambling devices and their whole approach and intent is to shut down games regardless of the actual gameplay. Thus, the Commonwealth as a whole is biased against the games and their approach lacks case credibility.”

“Pace-O-Matic’s Pennsylvania Skill games are legal,” the counsel for Pace-O-Matic, Matthew Haverstick of Kleinbard LLC, said. “The Commonwealth has wrongfully seized its equipment for years with no credible evidence that the games are illegal. Judges are now carefully looking at the evidence and ruling in our favor.”

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“Again, another Pennsylvania court has found that Pennsylvania Skill games, powered by Pace-O-Matic, are legal games of predominant skill,” the Chief Public Affairs Officer for Pace-O-Matic, Mike Barley, said. “With the legality of our games upheld repeatedly, we are eager to work with the legislature to pass legislation that will fairly regulate and tax the skill game industry. In fact, Pace-O-Matic stands out among our competitors as the active driving force seeking additional regulation and taxation.”

Legislation introduced by Pennsylvania Senator Gene Yaw will regulate skill games and tax them at a rate that would generate $300 million a year for the Commonwealth.

Pennsylvania Skill games have been ruled games of predominant skill by courts in Beaver, Dauphin, Monroe and York counties. Additionally, after a review of the law and court decisions, skill games also have been returned in both Clearfield and Delaware counties.

Pennsylvania Skill has pumped new life into the Commonwealth’s small businesses, fraternal and social clubs, volunteer fire companies and veterans’ organizations by providing an entertainment product that the public enjoys. Meanwhile, research data proves skill games do not impact the revenue of casinos and the lottery, both achieving record profits yearly.

Pennsylvania Skill games are manufactured in the Commonwealth and over 90% of the profits stay inside the state. That is unheard of in gaming and many other industries. Pace-O-Matic is proud of its record and looks forward to continuing to benefit Pennsylvania businesses, clubs and taxpayers now and in the future.

As part of ongoing efforts to ensure compliance, Pace-O-Matic employs a team of former state police officers to enforce all terms of contracts and codes of conduct. These contracted terms limit the number of machines, where they are placed in a location and have protections in place to prevent anyone underage from playing the devices.

In 2014, the Beaver County Court of Common Pleas ruled that Pace-O-Matic’s Pennsylvania Skill games are legal as games of predominant skill. Click here to read that court decision.

In addition, last year, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General and the Clearfield County District Attorney’s office negotiated a settlement to return wrongfully seized Pennsylvania Skill games, related equipment and cash. Click here to read that order.

Compliance Updates

Intralot informs the investment community about the withdrawal of the Maryland contract award Augu

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Intralot S.A. informs the investment community that the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (USA), despite an initially favorable recommendation, has ultimately rejected the bid submitted by its subsidiary, Intralot, Inc., for the award of a contract for a new Central Lottery Monitoring and Control System in the State. The rejection was based on the alleged failure to meet the minimum required percentage of subcontracting to local subcontractors.

This decision comes as a great surprise, especially considering that Intralot, Inc. had allocated a significantly higher percentage of the project to local subcontractors than the minimum required.

Moreover, the company had provided the Commission with very detailed clarifications, and the Commission was fully aware of the identity and role of these subcontractors. In fact, the Commission innitially ruled that all participants in the bidding process complied with the requirements of the relevant RFP — something the Commission itself acknowledges.

The Company reserves all its legal rights and intends to pursue every legal remedy available to protect the interests of its shareholders. The bid submitted by Intralot, Inc. is technically sound and by far the most financially advantageous, significantly outperforming the second-best offer. Should it not be accepted, the State of Maryland stands to lose a substantial financial benefit.

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Compliance Updates

MGCB Issues Cease-and-Desist Orders to Six Illegal Gambling Sites Targeting Michigan Players

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The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has issued cease-and-desist letters to six unlicensed online gambling platforms attempting to target Michigan residents without state authorization. The action underscores the MGCB’s relentless, ongoing efforts to shut down illegal gambling operations and protect Michigan consumers from financial risk, identity theft, and unfair play.

The targeted sites—Crypto Slots, NitroBetting, NewVegas, Las Vegas USA Casino, Grand Rush Casino, and Slotgard Casino—were found to be operating in violation of Michigan laws that require licensure for internet gaming and sports betting.

“These sites were attempting to exploit Michigan players while operating outside the law. We take this seriously. When unauthorized operators offer games without regulation, Michigan players are left exposed—and we will not tolerate it,” said Henry Williams, MGCB Executive Director.

This enforcement action is part of the MGCB’s larger crackdown on illegal online gambling platforms. In recent months, the agency has issued numerous cease-and-desist letters, with additional investigations currently underway.

The MGCB continues to monitor online gaming activity and urges the public to be cautious when engaging with gambling content on social media or through digital advertisements.

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Compliance Updates

SA Gaming Secures GLI Certification in Brazil

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SA Gaming, a leading Live Game Solution provider offering premium online entertainment, has announced that its game portfolio and Remote Gaming Server (RGS) have officially obtained Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) certifications in Brazil.

This milestone underscores SA Gaming’s commitment to delivering premium gaming experiences, with a particular focus on the Brazilian market.

A company representative said: “We will continue to strive for excellence, and to show our commitment to compliance and delivering tailored Live Game solutions.”

The regulated Brazilian online gaming market, which launched on January 1, 2025, is projected to become the largest in Latin America. Under the new framework, only licensed operators are legally permitted to offer online gaming and betting services.

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