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

At the city council meeting, Public Safety Director William McVey said his department has been investigating the issue for two years at the mayor’s request due to complaints from the public.

In 2023, there were an estimated 100 games of skill at businesses in the county. That number will rise to 170 in 2024, according to police.

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

Police say unregulated games threaten the quality of life and public safety in Bensalem, citing robberies, theft and even drug use linked to games of skill.

“We’ve seen the proliferation of these machines and all kinds of businesses, and we’ve also seen them welcoming the criminal element,” McVey said.

There are exceptions to the new rule for businesses and clubs with active, state-issued liquor licenses. But they will now need to monitor playgrounds with video surveillance and place them in areas visible to employees but out of reach of children.

The Bensalem attorney said the rules are designed to reflect the proposal in Senate Bill 1142, which is currently before the state Senate.

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

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

We take the well-being of the communities where our games are located seriously and agree that the number of illegal slot machines popping up in communities across the state is a problem. But a ban involving legal games of skill is not the solution. This only jeopardizes the livelihoods of small businesses and fraternities that are already struggling due to inflation and other economic problems.

We stand for what Governor Josh Shapiro supports: skill gaming regulation and tax legislation that would rid neighborhoods of illegal slot machines, especially mini-casinos, without harming law-abiding business owners. The legislation would also provide tax revenue for the state to use for priorities such as transportation and public transportation.

Considering that the council based its ordinance on Senate Bill 1142, a casino-authored piece of legislation, this tells us everything we need to know about who is leading this effort. This is about protecting an internationally owned casino. We are calling on Bensalem Twp. “They need to prioritize local businesses and sister clubs, not Parx Casino.”

“My answer to that is, based on the data we have, we’re doing this based on the public safety need for Bensalem County. I’ve seen a 40% increase in these machines in our county in one year.” McVey said in response.

Anthony Ricciardi owns the Ricciardi Mini Mart and Sunoco gas station in the city with his family and six employees. He now has four skill game machines to get rid of because his business doesn’t fall under any exceptions.

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

“As a small, family-owned grocery store, we operate on small margins, we operate on tight margins on our products, which is just one of the extra things that helps us with bills and payroll,” Ricciardi said.

He clashed with town leaders defending his job Monday night, but leaders, including the Bucks County District Attorney, said the move was necessary.

“We hear this all the time; victims of violent crimes always say, ‘I didn’t think this would happen to me.'” “As much as Bucks County Prosecutor Jennifer Schorn believes her establishment is safe, we know criminals target these facilities because they know they are unregulated,” said .

This regulation will come into force within 10 days. During this time, the town will attempt to notify businesses it knows will be affected.

The town also says the machines will not be confiscated, but instead fines and penalties may be imposed for non-compliance.

city Philadelphia took similar action earlier this year suggests similar causes of crime and violence linked to games of skill.