Republic Amusements lays off 81 after Pennsylvania skill games ban
The company blames state lawmakers for failing to pass legislation to regulate and tax the machines before they were ruled illegal.
CAMP HILL — Republic Amusements, a Pennsylvania skill games vendor, is laying off 81 employees after the state's ban on the machines took effect.
The Camp Hill-based company, which owns Capital Vending, Apple Vending and Entertainment Experts, filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice, providing 60 days' notice of the job cuts.
"My family started this business nearly 64 years ago, and it’s incredibly frustrating to work this hard, to build something that supports great employees and real opportunities for small businesses, only to have our elected officials refuse to take action," Republic Amusements COO Joe Calla said.
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The company said the affected employees serve approximately 1,000 locations across Pennsylvania, including bars, restaurants, fraternal organizations, family entertainment centres and convenience stores.
The layoffs come after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on June 15 that skill games qualify as "slot machines" under the state’s Gaming Act.
Pennsylvania State Police began enforcement on October 14 with the power to seize machines and pursue charges against those responsible for them.
Police said they had reached agreements with six skill games operators or distributors that expressed willingness to comply with the law but requested additional time to remove the machines.
Republic Amusements called the layoffs a direct result of the General Assembly's continued failure to approve regulations and a tax structure for skill games.
"All this talk of 'tax parity' from some legislators, and specifically from Governor Shapiro, makes clear they have no real intention of doing right by small business," Calla said.
Although bipartisan lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro support legalizing and regulating skill games, proposed legislation has stalled over disagreement on tax rates.
Calla argued that the games played a role in supporting small businesses and that they operate differently from casinos because they’re installed inside businesses whose main purpose is not gambling.
Speaking off the record, one small business owner told Casino.org that skill games generated over $50,000 for their company in 2026 through September.
According to the business owner, stores keep roughly 30% of each machine’s gross revenue, with the remaining 70% going to manufacturers and distributors.
Miele Manufacturing, one of the largest suppliers of skill-game machines in Pennsylvania, announced that it would stop operating its devices.
Under Pennsylvania law, maintaining, assembling, setting up, selling, or leasing slot machines remains an illegal gambling offense unless the devices are explicitly authorized and licensed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
"I know there are legislators who want to do the right thing and support us and other small businesses, and I hope they can find the courage to stand up and do it," Calla said.