Three facts, all on the public record:
1. In June 2026, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that skill games are illegal, unlicensed slot machines. 2. Sen. Jarrett Coleman says they should face no tax and no regulation. 3. The skill games industry is by far the biggest funder of his campaign since he took office — about $701,000 over three years.
What the court decided
On June 15, 2026, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that skill game machines operating without a license are illegal slot machines. (Full opinion · Spotlight PA)
The court gave the legislature 120 days. Starting October 14, 2026, State Police say machines can be seized. There are an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 of them in stores, bars, VFW halls and gas stations.
Where Coleman stands
Nine days after the ruling, at a rally on the Capitol steps, Coleman said: “Skill games should operate under no tax and no regulation, because they’re not gambling.” (FOX43 · Bucks County Beacon)
The Supreme Court had just ruled they’re illegal gambling devices.
His position goes further than the industry’s own. Pace-O-Matic, the biggest manufacturer, backs a 16% tax. Gov. Shapiro proposed 52%. Coleman’s number is zero.
A fellow Republican answered him at the same rally. Sen. Chris Gebhard (R-Lebanon): “This case was brought by Pace-O-Matic. They are a gambling device operator, and that’s what this is. We’re talking about gambling.“
Coleman also sits on the Senate committee that handles gaming legislation. (Committee roster)
He broke with his own party’s leaders
During the 2025 state budget fight, top Senate Republicans backed a 35% tax on skill games and pushed for it in negotiations. (Spotlight PA)
Coleman went the other way. He publicly attacked his own party’s 35% bill: “I can’t think of a time when raising taxes has worked out well for Republicans.” (Bradford Era, July 2025)
That was the same year Pace-O-Matic’s executives gave his campaign $275,000 — including $250,000 from the company’s founder.
The money
In 2025, $395,000 of the $748,589 his campaign raised — 53% — came from the skill games industry:
| Date | From | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2025 | Operators for Skill PAC | $5,000 |
| Oct 30, 2025 | Operators for Skill PAC | $115,000 |
| Oct 30, 2025 | Pace-O-Matic president | $10,000 |
| Oct 30, 2025 | Pace-O-Matic vice president | $10,000 |
| Oct 30, 2025 | Pace-O-Matic chief operating officer | $5,000 |
| Nov 7, 2025 | Michael Pace, Pace-O-Matic founder | $250,000 |
In 2026, $305,000 of his $390,946 in itemized contributions — 78 cents of every dollar — came from Operators for Skill PAC alone.
Over three years: about $701,000 from one industry. (Campaign finance filings, filer ID 20220185, at campaignfinanceonline.pa.gov)
The order of events
To be accurate: Coleman took his position before the big money arrived. The PAC gave $5,000 in March 2025; he wrote an op-ed opposing a skill games tax that summer; the large donations came that fall.
Nobody bought a change of mind. An industry facing a huge tax fight found the lawmaker already making its argument — and funded him at a scale rarely seen in Pennsylvania legislative races. The question isn’t whether he was bribed. It’s whose interests he represents when one industry pays for most of his campaign.
His argument, and what it leaves out
Coleman says skill games are “a lifeline for our small businesses, volunteer fire companies, fraternal clubs, and veterans.” That part is real — for some bars and VFW posts, the money keeps the doors open, and a 52% tax would hurt them.
But the small business isn’t who writes the $250,000 checks. The manufacturer keeps the biggest share of every dollar played. A tax that protects small hosts while taxing manufacturers is entirely possible — it’s what most states with legal machines do.
Meanwhile, casinos pay about 54% on slot machines. Skill games have paid nothing, costing the state an estimated $250 million or more in taxes, according to the casino industry.
Where Mark Pinsley stands
Pinsley, the Democratic nominee and Lehigh County Controller, says skill games should be “regulated, taxed and handled honestly.”
In his video on skill games, he asks whether Coleman can be trusted to write fair rules for an industry that has funded so much of his campaign — “or to even develop any at all.” His own answer:
As your State Senator, I’ll deal with the world as it actually is. The games are here. The money is real. So regulate them, tax them, help people hurt by gambling problems, and make sure we don’t pull the rug out from under the small businesses that have come to rely on that income.
He agrees many small businesses depend on the money, and would build a framework around them: clear rules, a fair tax aimed at manufacturers, consumer protections, help for people with gambling problems, and licenses for small local businesses first. He says the status quo serves manufacturers, not small businesses or taxpayers — and after the court’s ruling, it isn’t even an option anymore.
He would also limit campaign contributions and end gifts to lawmakers, so no donor or industry can pay for most of a senator’s campaign. More: How much of Jarrett Coleman’s campaign money comes from special interests?
His full plan: What is Mark Pinsley’s plan for regulating and taxing Pennsylvania skill games?
What happens next will be decided by the legislature elected on November 3, 2026. District 16 covers parts of Lehigh and Bucks counties.
