United Gaming Advisors / Monte Cristo Gaming — November 11, 2026
Pennsylvania State Police released their enforcement numbers yesterday, and they are not close. Troopers visited 12,202 locations that used to have skill games. 12,134 of them no longer do. That's 99.4%. Sixty-eight held out past Oct. 14, and police seized 14 machines and $1,913 (City & State PA, Nov. 10; Capital-Star, Nov. 10).
What the number tells me
Bar owners, VFWs and corner stores didn't fight. When the law was clear and the troopers showed up, they pulled the machines. That's what I'd expect from people who run licensed businesses and have a liquor license to protect.
The Attorney General's office once put the statewide count as high as 70,000 machines. Most of that floor space is now empty, and so is the revenue line that came with it.
What it doesn't tell me
It doesn't tell me the demand went away. The players who used those games every week are still in those towns. Some will drive to a casino. Some will go online. Some will find whatever unregulated device shows up next. An empty corner where a machine used to be is not a policy.
The State Police statement also made a point the industry should hear: no manufacturer or operator asked the agency whether the devices were legal before putting them in Pennsylvania businesses. Regulators remember that.
Harrisburg, 19 days left
The session is scheduled to adjourn Nov. 30. I haven't found a bill number moving or a vote scheduled. New legislators are sworn in Jan. 5. Until there's a bill on a calendar, I'm treating a fix as a 2027 question.
Chicago, no change
I pulled the Illinois Gaming Board's lists again this morning, City = Chicago: 78 licensed, 297 pending, 2 denied. Same as yesterday. No new rows dated Nov. 10 or 11. I still can't confirm the city is issuing local licenses, so no terminals are live as far as I can document.
Prospective Investor Inside Analysis
My view, not fact or a forecast. Pennsylvania just ran the cleanest real-world test of what happens when a state turns off unregulated machines: near-total compliance in about four weeks. Two lessons. First, enforcement works fast when the court ruling is clear, which matters to anyone betting that gray machines in Missouri, Georgia or Texas will last forever. Second, a shutdown without a regulated replacement leaves the demand and the tax money on the table. The states that write the regulated framework first, Illinois-style, keep both. That's the case Pennsylvania lawmakers will hear again in January.
What I'm watching
Any Harrisburg bill with a number and a calendar date before Nov. 30.
What happens to the 68 holdouts.
Missouri prefiling for 2027.
Chicago's 78 / 297 / 2.
Bar, club or store owner in Chicago? Click Here to Become the House. No Obligation, Walk Anytime. Revenue figures are estimates from Gaming Board data, never promises. Monte Cristo Gaming is an applicant, not a licensed operator. Investors and operators: contact@montecristogaming.com. 21+. Problem gambling help: 1-800-GAMBLER.
Sources: City & State PA, Nov. 10 · Pennsylvania Capital-Star via LevittownNow, Nov. 10 · IGB lists
