Harrisburg, Aug. 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Pennsylvania Skill, powered by Pace-O-Matic, praised the Pennsylvania Lottery on achieving another great year of revenues for the Commonwealth. Their outstanding year narrowly missed besting their record earning year achieved in 2020-2021. This success took place at the same time Pennsylvania Skill has expanded.
According to a press release, Pennsylvania Lottery officials announced the Lottery generated a profit of nearly $1.2 billion during the 2021-22 fiscal year. This is the 11th consecutive year the Lottery has generated more than $1 billion for senior programs. The profit was driven by the Lottery selling a total of $5 billion in traditional games, which include Scratch-Off tickets. These games account for more than 70 percent of total traditional sales. This growth is taking place in many locations where lottery and Pennsylvania Skill games operate together.
Pennsylvania Skill stated: "We congratulate the Pennsylvania Lottery on achieving another great year of revenue for the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania Skill has also experienced increased growth and profits. We have been clear that our economic forecast numbers show legal games of skill do not negatively impact the Lottery’s revenue. The Lottery's record growth confirms our findings.
“The fact that the Lottery and skill games are performing so well is good news for the state, the Pennsylvania Lottery, small businesses, fraternal organizations, veteran groups, seniors and charities. If the legislature agrees to regulate and impose additional taxes on skill games, this has the potential to be even more beneficial to the Commonwealth. Skill games further regulated and taxed at a reasonable rate could provide over $250 million in recurring revenue to the Commonwealth annually.”
Pennsylvania Skill has been operating legal games of skill across the state for six years, and the PA Lottery games continue to experience record growth. An economic study done by a Villanova professor indicates Lottery sales may increase if their machines are coupled with PA Skill machines in an establishment.
Like the Lottery, games of skill give back to communities. They do so through charitable giving. Supporters of legal skill games are asking state lawmakers to pass legislation so that the games are further regulated and provide increased tax revenue for the state.
Pennsylvania Skill, through the locations that have the machines, provides tens of thousands of dollars across Pennsylvania to fraternal organizations, volunteer fire departments, veterans groups, schools and community groups. All of the games, and most of the parts used for building the machines, are made in Pennsylvania.
Through charity work and gaming manufacturing, funding from legal games of skill provides assistance and jobs all over the state.
Pace-O-Matic's Pennsylvania Skill products are manufactured by Miele Manufacturing in Williamsport, which has created hundreds of manufacturing and manufacturing-related positions in the Commonwealth. Additionally, Pennsylvania Skill games are helping to support and grow businesses that were struggling and are now thriving and creating jobs.
The revenue generated by these games has become a lifeline to fraternal clubs and organizations across the Commonwealth, including American Legions, VFWs, and local fire companies. Pennsylvania Skill has donated millions to local charities, including food banks, children's hospitals and senior centers.
As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure compliance, Pace-O-Matic employs a team of former Pennsylvania State Police officers to enforce the terms of our contracts and our codes of conduct. These contracted terms limit the number of machines and 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 Pace-O-Matic's Pennsylvania Skill games are legal as games of predominant skill. Click here to read that court decision.
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