My heart aches for our local firehalls and American legions devastated by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court opinion clarifying Act No. 42 of 2017 (PA) that has a very grey and ambiguous generalization on gambling and "slot machines". These institutions aren’t just buildings; they are cornerstones of our community, homes for our veterans, and spaces where neighbors become friends. For years, they have thrived as community centers and gathering places, where people come together for events, camaraderie, and to provide crucial support to our public and veteran services.

Recently, however, our firehalls and American legions have been facing unprecedented financial difficulties. The removal of skill games has struck a significant blow to their revenue streams, making the struggle to maintain operations and services harder than ever. For many of these local venues, skill games were not just a pastime but an essential source of funding.

Skill games are a beloved form of entertainment that requires strategy and expertise. More importantly, they generated significant revenue, which was essential for funding community services and maintaining the facilities that many in our community rely upon. These games contributed to the financial health and sustainability of our firehalls and American legions, ensuring they could continue their work supporting emergency services, veterans and charitable causes.

Restoring these games would provide an immediate solution by incentivizing people's patronage and infusing our local community spaces with much-needed funds. Compared to less targeted community fundraising activities, skill games offer a viable and steady source of income that allows these cherished institutions to function and serve the public effectively.

We are calling on our state legislators of the General Assembly to recognize the significant impact this ban has had on our community focal points. By allowing skill games back into any business that has a license, we can revive our firehalls and legions, restore their financial viability, and reinvigorate the local areas they serve.

This petition is about restoring vibrancy and hope to our communities. Allowing skill games in licensed establishments will lead to job creation, increased funding for local events, and a stronger community spirit. Let's bring back the joy and support our local heroes, and the small businesses that have served us tirelessly.

Join me in urging our local and state authorities to reinstate skill games in all licensed venues. Let's stand together to support the spaces and services that are vital to our community's fabric. Please sign this petition to bring back skill games, help sustain these crucial community pillars, and make our community strong once more. 

We encourage the Pennsylvania General Assembly to create new legislation to allow any establishment, not excluding horse racetracks, but also including any business or entity of Pennsylvania to operate "skills games" or "slot machines" or anything related to the matter, within appropriate and agreeable terms and prices of licensee between the licensee and licensor, that "skill games", "hybrid slot machines", and "slot machines" may be legally owned and operated.