Pair of Bills Would Finally Address Skill Games in Statute, Diamond Says
September 24, 2026
HARRISBURG – With the deadline for the General Assembly to regulate skill games in Pennsylvania just weeks away, Rep. Russ Diamond (R-Lebanon) has introduced House Bills 2801 and 2802 to legalize and regulate skill games while providing Pennsylvania homeowners nearly $1 billion in additional property tax relief.
“My legislation provides the best chance of modernizing Pennsylvania’s gaming law and bringing skill games into a regulated framework before the Oct. 13 deadline set by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court,” Diamond said. “It’s important to know these bills were not hastily prepared. Rather, they’re the result of 18 months’ worth of work and discussions with stakeholders in the legal gaming industry, purveyors of skill games, regulators and the general public.”
Diamond, Republican chairman of the House Gaming Oversight Committee, said House Bills 2801 and 2802 give the Legislature a clear path forward while ensuring the Commonwealth, its taxpayers and its licensed establishments all benefit from a modernized gaming system. He wants to give peace of mind to the social clubs, taverns, volunteer fire companies and other entities that have come to rely on proceeds from skill games.
Under Diamond’s proposal, skill games would be regulated and taxed at a rate of 20%, with up to five machines permitted only in clubs, liquor-licensed restaurants and bars, and qualified truck stops. The legislation would also reduce the tax rate for casino-based slot machines to 49.9% and establish the same rate for all online casino games.
Diamond’s bill package establishes a defined formula to maximize property tax relief, provide reliable annual funding for the Race Horse Development Trust Fund, nearly double support for compulsive and problem gambling treatment, and maintain a dependable revenue stream for the state’s General Fund.
Diamond also emphasized that the legislation recognizes the important role Pennsylvania’s clubs and licensed establishments would continue to play.
“Pennsylvania’s clubs have supported our communities, created jobs and provided places for people to gather for generations,” Diamond said. “I have a responsibility to Pennsylvanians, including our clubs that are seeking to have minimal disruptions to the way they’ve operated for years. These bills recognize that responsibility while establishing clear rules and a reliable framework for the future.”
Instead of offering property tax relief through the homestead/farmstead exclusion currently hidden on school property tax bills, Diamond’s plan would deliver relief through a direct annual gaming dividend payment to Pennsylvania’s 2.87 million qualified homeowners.
Even without presuming any growth in existing legal gaming over the next fiscal year, or the addition of revenue from skill games, every qualified homeowner in Pennsylvania would receive a gaming dividend payment of at least $702 annually.
For residents of the 102nd District who currently receive homestead/farmstead relief, that translates to an annual net increase of $459 to $602, depending on the particular school district in which they reside. Across Pennsylvania, 96% of homeowners would experience greater property tax relief.
“I hear almost every day from constituents lamenting they haven’t seen the property tax relief promised by politicians more than 20 years ago. These bills aim to maximize that relief and deliver it directly into their hands,” Diamond said.
Representative Russ Diamond
102nd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jennifer Fitch
717.260.6563
jfitch@pahousegop.com
RepDiamond.com