In an effort to prioritize the public safety of residents, especially adolescents, Bensalem Council members voted unanimously during last Monday’s meeting to approve an ordinance that will ban local gaming devices, or “skill games,” at area convenience stores, gas stations and similar locations.
For the past two years, public safety director Bill McVey and Bensalem Police have been monitoring these games after Mayor Joe DiGirolamo began to receive an influx of complaints about them. Within that timeframe alone, the number of machines in the township rose by 40%, jumping from 100 in 2023 to approximately 170 in 2024.
“They’re unregulated and it could jeopardize the quality of life we have here in Bensalem,” said McVey, who brought up two recent crimes related to the machines.
One occurred at a Route 1 gas station, where an individual robbed the merchant with a replica gun and knife after playing a skill game for three hours and losing. Another occurred at a gas station on Knights Road, where a man stole $190,000 from a vendor who was on site to load the machines with cash. He fled to Levittown, where he smoked crack cocaine at another gas station while playing a skill game.
According to the ordinance, effective 10 days following the meeting, skill games are prohibited at all facilities except those with a valid state-issued liquor license (restaurants, breweries, wineries, distilleries), as well as fraternal organizations like the VFW and Knights of Columbus. At these approved locations, skill games must be in a segregated area that is inaccessible to children and monitored by video surveillance. There may be no more than three machines at any given location.
Regarding the gas stations, convenience stores and other spots where skill games are prohibited, solicitor Joseph Pizzo explained that it won’t be the township’s responsibility to have the machines removed, but rather the owners’. He also explained that this isn’t any sort of money grab for Bensalem, as it will be losing money once the ordinance takes effect. Currently, the township collects an annual tax of $80 from the machines, which it will continue to do from the permitted games.
“This is very much, at the end of the day, written with an eye toward the health, safety and welfare of this community, especially our youth and teenagers. A 16-year-old can walk into a gas station on Route 1 right now coming out of the Nottingham neighborhood and in three gas stations along that stretch, there’s at least 20 machines collectively,” said Pizzo, who added that a teen can sit and play “what’s effectively a slot machine” until they run out of money if the clerk turns a blind eye. “It’s something that we don’t want to see in this township.”
The ordinance was modeled after Senate Bill 1142, which was introduced in the state Senate earlier this year, with Sen. Frank Farry as its prime sponsor and Sen. Steve Santarsiero as a supporter. The bill, which is currently in committee, would create a scheme of regulation for skill games and bring them under the umbrella of the state Gaming Commission.
“It would certainly be the township’s preference if the state were to, in fact, move forward and move this legislation out of committee, approve it, get the governor’s concurrence so that these machines, if they are going to exist, will be regulated in the same fashion that slot machines are,” said Pizzo, who hopes that, if legislation is passed at the state level, it will mirror what’s on the books in Bensalem.
Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn was on hand at the council meeting to express her support of the ordinance, especially given the 40% increase in machines over the span of one year.
“What we’re seeing along with that is the increase of violent crimes like an armed robbery. Replica gun or not, I can assure you, that clerk didn’t know it was a replica gun when it was held to the clerk’s face, and certainly law enforcement might not know,” she said, adding that Bensalem would likely see an uptick in similar crimes if the machines were to go unregulated. “And who’s to say the next person isn’t going to use a true firearm?”
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Anthony Ricciardi, owner of Ricciardi Mini Mart and Sunoco gas station, which has several skill games on site, spoke on behalf of local business owners who rely on these machines for extra income.
He stressed that his attendants carefully watch the machines to ensure nobody under 21 plays them, and that he’s never had any criminal incidents related to them. Ricciardi urged the council to table the topic until they could hear from more business owners, but this didn’t happen.
“I have a 16-year-old that might walk to 7-11. I don’t want her walking around four guys gambling,” said McVey. He added, “It’s not a total outlaw, but it’s gonna clean up the township and get them out of places that aren’t really licensed for this.”
Council member Joseph Pilieri recommended a complete outlaw of skill games in the township, even at bars and restaurants, as there is already a casino that’s built for this purpose: “If we’re gonna do it, we should do it all the way.”
Michelle Benitez countered, “If they [Bensalem Police and the District Attorney] felt that they were areas of concern, that would’ve been incorporated in this ordinance.” Benitez shared that she feels positive about pioneering such an ordinance, which she believes will result in other municipalities following suit: “We’re taking off and we’re setting the tone for what it’s gonna look like at the county and at the state level.”
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
