Pennsylvania Lawmaker Wants to Qualify More Truck Stops for Video Gaming Terminals

Pennsylvania Rep. Seth Grove (R-York) represents the county that the dairy farm and convenience stash away company Rutter’s calls home. The country lawmaker is seeking to amend the commonwealth’s 2017 gaming expansion invoice to trim down qualifying criteria for motortruck stops to put up video gaming terminals (VGTs).

Introduced inwards July, House Bill 2743 would transfer the demand that diesel engine motortruck stops must sell an medium of 50K gallons of diesel engine or biodiesel apiece month to qualify for living accommodations upwards to fin VGT machines on the property.

Grove says the legislative requirement, which was designed to limit point how many of the slot-like cabinets are allowed in the state, is instead prohibiting the commonwealth from reaping the good taxation do good of authorizing such gaming.

During recent testimonial before the Gaming Oversight Committee, Rutter’s attorney Chris Reed agreed. John Reed suggested that betwixt septenary to 9 additional Rutter’s locations would measure up for VGTs if the province dropped or significantly reduced the diesel engine sales requirement.

Grove added that the diesel minimum is preventing motortruck stops from applying for VGTs.

The reality for a lot of these establishments is they are worried they would not strike the bench mark and follow capable to persist in their license,” Grove testified.

By law, gross gaming revenue from VGTs is topic to an efficient 52% tax. VGT taxes reinforcement the state’s General Fund and county grants administered by the Commonwealth Finance Agency.

Qualification Requirements

For a motortruck kibosh to dispose for considerateness of VGTs, the stage business must live weaponed with diesel islands used for refueling commercial-grade motor vehicles.

The stop over must make at least 20 dedicated commercial vehicle parking spaces, a convenience store, follow a registered Pennsylvania Lottery sales agent, and follow situated on no less than tercet acres of land. Finally, there’s the 50K gallons a month of diesel engine fire sales stipulation.

“Rutter’s had to climb-down septet applications inward 2018 because of the diesel requirements,” John Reed testified. “These Rutter’s locations cannot gather the diesel requirement though they satisfy all of the other criteria.”

VGTs won $39.8 zillion cancelled of players inward 2021 — upwards 140% from 2020 when the motortruck layover gaming machines raked inward $16.6 million.

Marquee past Penn, a spliff entity from Rutter’s and William Penn Entertainment (formerly William Penn National Gaming), is dominating the VGT industry inwards Pennsylvania. Marquee terminals accounted for nearly $27.7 zillion of the 2021 income.

Committee Pushback

State Rep. Uncle Tom Mehaffie (R-Dauphin) isn’t sold that more VGTs are needed. Mehaffie voted against the 2017 gaming expansion, which inward increase to motortruck stopover VGTs, authorised mini-casinos, online gambling, sports betting, phantasy sports, and aerodrome gaming lounges.

Mehaffie questioned why Rutter’s didn’t speak upwards inward 2017 around the diesel requirement. Walter Reed said he wasn’t employed past the fellowship at the time. The land rep countered by explaining that the diesel threshold was intentional to take a leak sure that every convenience hive away on every tree didn’t qualify to shoes gambling machines indoors their premises.

“We’ve identified what a truck stopover is, and voice of that is marketing diesel motor fuel,” Mehaffie said. “Is the next thing you’re sledding to come plunk for and expect us to unload the acreage?

I conceive we’re starting a priority here that if we take up falling this and dropping that so we’re sledding to eventually opened this upwardly to every convenience store that sells gasoline crosswise the state,” Mehaffie concluded.

HB 2743 remains with the Gaming Oversight, as the committee has yet to ballot on the measure.