Gaming machines manufacturer Pace-O-Matic (POM) has congratulated the U.S. casino industry and the American Gaming Association (AGA) on reporting their best July in history while simultaneously complaining that the legal industry keeps “attacking” the so-called “skill gaming” sector in several states.
According to a report from AGA, commercial casinos made nearly $5.4 billion in July of this year, up nearly 6% from last year. The Association also reported that the casino industry is on pace to have its best year ever in 2023, having made nearly $38 billion since the beginning of the year, an 11% increase over 2022.
Pace-O-Matic sustains that the casino industry reports record profits month after month while “simultaneously touting legal skill games as a hindrance to their revenue.” The AGA had previously called for unregulated ‘skill’ gaming machines to be removed from all locations across the United States, which Pace-O-Matic calls “hypocrisy”.
“We may sound like a broken record when we continue to send our congratulatory notes to the casino industry, but that’s because they continue to report record profits over and over again,” said POM’s Chief Public Affairs Officer, Mike Barley. “We will continue to point out their hypocrisy as long as they continue to attack legal skill games which are supporting small businesses and fraternal organizations in many states.”
In a press release, the company argued that skill games provide critical revenue to restaurants, bars, taverns, VFW halls, and American Legion posts throughout the country.
“We take no issue with the casinos, and the evidence shows that we can coexist with them in a regulated market,” added Barley. “But it seems that the casino industry will rest at nothing until they stamp out any perceived competition. Studies have shown that skill games have no impact on casinos, and their own financial reports back that up.”
It should be noted, however, that according to a recent report released by the American Gaming Association last month, among Americans familiar with unregulated “skill” machines, two-thirds (65%) say that they are no different from slot machines where wins are based on random chance and that even a skilled player “cannot reliably influence the outcome.” The data comes as the association suggests the machines should be removed across the US.
“Skill” games look and sound similar to a slot machine, but incorporate “skill” components that require the player to identify a winning payline. In contrast, with a casino slot, the machine automatically credits a winning spin. “Skill” machines also differ in that they are not regulated in most states, meaning they do not contribute to state or local tax revenue and lack consumer protections.
The machines are often found in convenience stores, bars, strip malls, and other community establishments across the country, operating mostly outside of the regulated gaming marketplace. Previous AGA research estimates that 580,651 unregulated gambling machines exist in the U.S., constituting about 40% of all gambling machines nationwide.
