1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I read in the Philadelphia Inquirer that some members of the state government want to use "skill games" to increase funding for mass transit. I want to ensure that pinball machines will not be considered part of “skill games”. I request that you treat pinball as a driver of tourism within the state. To be clear: I am FOR improving mass transit and the sooner you get SEPTA trains run to Pottstown the better. I am also an internationally ranked pinball player. I play in tournaments in Malvern, Linfield, Chester Springs, Allentown, Philadelphia, various locations near Pittsburgh, and occasionally out of state. My understanding is that pinball machines are still taxes as "arcade" machines and in many locations this means a tax of as much as $2500 per year per machine — forcing pinball aficionados to open "private clubs" or "museums" to host tournaments. Please provide me more information on these laws in my area. I am worried that you will lump pinball machines in with "skill games" and tax them accordingly. If you do so, l'd also like you to tax cornhole, softball leagues, little league, pickleball, tennis, darts, soccer, video game systems in people's homes, and whatever your hobbies are. Until COVID, the largest pinball tournament in the world (Pinburgh) with 1000 players was held annually in Pittsburgh. The convention brought in thousands of players and their families every year. Chicago and Portland are now the biggest pinball hubs in the country, and that's a shame. Pinball drives traffic into small businesses all over the state. The machines are difficult and expensive to maintain. Additional taxes may drive small business owners to remove their machines. I urge you to ensure that pinball is not unwisely considered a "skill game" for the purposes of taxation, and instead encourage the development of skill-based pinball arcades so that we can rebuild the positive impact it had on state tourism and regain our state’s name as the center of pinball in America.