BENSALEM, Pennsylvania (WPVI) — Following a unanimous vote Monday night, games of skill are now banned in Bensalem, Bucks County, with some exceptions.

During a city council meeting, Public Safety Director William McVey, at the mayor’s request because of public complaints, said his department has been studying the issue for two years.

In 2023, there were an estimated 100 games of skill in businesses across the city. That number rose to 170 in 2024, according to police.

Games can be found in businesses such as delis, restaurants, bars and shops.

Police said unregulated gaming threatens the quality of life and public safety in Bensalem, pointing to robberies, theft and even drug use linked to skill games.

“We’ve seen a proliferation of these cars and all kinds of businesses, and we’ve also seen a criminal element welcome,” McVey said.

There are exceptions to the new rule for businesses and clubs with active, state-issued liquor licenses. However, they will now have to monitor play areas with video surveillance and place them in areas visible to employees and not accessible to children.

The Bensalem attorney said the guidelines are designed to mirror a proposal currently in the state Senate, Senate Bill 1142.

In response to Bensalem’s new ordinance, Mike Barley — a spokesman for PA Skill — issued the following statement to Action News:

“Pennsylvania Skill is alarmed that Bensalem Twp. Supervisors would pass a measure that will hurt small family businesses and fraternal clubs that benefit from additional revenue from games of skill.

We take the well-being of the communities in which our games are located seriously, and we agree that the number of illegal gambling machines popping up in communities across the state is a problem. A ban that includes legal games of skill, however, is not the answer. It only jeopardizes the livelihoods of small businesses and fraternal groups that are already struggling due to inflation and other economic issues.

We’re advocating for what Governor Josh Shapiro advocates: skill gaming regulation and tax legislation that will rid neighborhoods of illegal gambling machines, especially mini-casinos, without harming law-abiding business owners. The legislation would also provide tax revenue for the state to use on priorities like transportation and mass transit.

Given that the board is basing its ordinance on a law written by the casino, Senate Bill 1142, this tells us all we need to know about who is leading this effort. This is about protecting an internationally owned casino. We urge Bensalem Twp. to prioritize local businesses and fraternal clubs over Parx Casino”.

“My response to that is we’re doing this based on the public safety need for Bensalem Township, based on the data we had. We have seen a 40% increase in these cars in our commune in one year.” McVey said in response.

Anthony Ricciardi owns the Ricciardi Mini Mart and Sunoco gas station in town with his family and six employees. He has four skill slot machines that he will have to get rid of now because his business doesn’t fit into any of the exceptions.

He says he has had no problems with violence or crime and calls the new ordinance a blow to his small business.

“Being a small, family-owned convenience store, we’re working with small margins, tight margins on our products, so it’s just one of those extra things that helps with our bills and payroll,” Ricciardi said.

He fought city leaders advocating for his business Monday night, but leaders, including the Bucks County District Attorney, said the move was necessary.

“We hear this all the time — victims of violent crime always say, ‘I didn’t think it would happen to me until it did.’ And as much as he thinks his facility is safe, we know that criminals are targeting these facilities, these facilities because they know they’re not regulated,” said Bucks County Prosecutor Jennifer Schorn.

This ordinance takes effect in 10 days. During this time, the city will make efforts to notify businesses it knows will be affected.

The city also says they will not impound cars, but rather fines and penalties could be imposed for non-compliance.

The city of Philadelphia took similar action earlier this year citing similar reasons of crime and violence related to games of skill.