Restrictions Confirmed on Meadville Skill Games

Owners of Pennsylvania online casinos have plenty to celebrate this week as it appears that at least one city in the Keystone State has heard their complaints regarding skill games. 

Barely a month after the Meadville City Council got the initial vote for zoning restrictions through, the final vote is now in. And it’s a polite ‘no to skill games’ from Meadville citizens.

Skill Games Parlors Now Limited to Three Zones

Trouble started brewing in August, when a vote taken during the Meadville City Council meeting unanimously approved a preliminary vote to limit the location of skill games. During the meeting, members of the city council noted that while these remained legally distinct from slot machines, they “resembled” them.

Now, the new zoning ordinance was voted in last week, with the law limiting skill games parlors in Meadville to just three sections of the city. Although current establishments can continue to operate, according to the Meadville Tribunal anyone wanting to open a business that includes skill games can only do so in the approved areas.

The three areas are West of French Creek Parkway, the North Street-State Street corridor between Water and Grant Streets, and Park Avenue from Pine Street to Linden Street. However, even here permits are not automatically granted, and applicants are also required to go through a rigorous application process following the below steps:

• Present their plans and plead their case in front of the city’s Zoning Hearing Board
• Notify neighbors and allowing them to offer their feedback
• Submit to a vote by five board appointees