Skill games money made up most of Garrity's fall fundraising. The industry-backed Senate bill never got a vote

Republican nominee for governor Stacy Garrity raised almost $5.4 million between Sept. 15 and Oct. 19, more than she had raised in the rest of her campaign combined, and at least $4.5 million of it was linked to the skill games industry, Spotlight PA reported Tuesday. That is more than 80% of her total for the period.

Why it matters: state police began removing the machines from bars, clubs and convenience stores this month after lawmakers missed a court deadline, WESA reported, and the next governor will help decide whether they come back, and on what terms. The two candidates have staked out different positions.

What the reports show

The largest industry-linked contributions to Garrity were $2 million from the Pennsylvania Amusement and Music Machine Association, a trade group for coin-operated machines; $2 million from the owner of skill games developer Pinnacle Vending; and $500,000 from a Pittsburgh skill games distributor, according to Spotlight PA.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, the Democratic incumbent, raised more than $8 million in the same period. His largest sources included $500,000 from the Democratic Governors Association and at least $1.5 million from union-affiliated groups, Spotlight reported. Shapiro also took $50,000 from the skill games industry's main political action committee as recently as June.

Heading into the final week, Shapiro had $4.3 million on hand and Garrity $3.3 million. Since the start of 2025, Shapiro's campaign has spent almost $70 million, compared with about $7 million for Garrity's, according to Spotlight PA.

A Garrity spokesperson told Spotlight the difference in where the two candidates raise money "could not be a starker contrast." A Shapiro spokesperson said Garrity is "raking in millions in contributions from special interest groups."

Where the candidates stand

Garrity has endorsed a per-machine fee rather than a tax on revenue, WESA reported. Shapiro backs a 52% tax, and told WESA during a Western Pennsylvania campaign swing that the issue is now "largely" resolved because state police are removing illegal machines. He called it a low priority.

The state Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that skill games are slot machines, which can only operate in casinos and some truck stops, and gave the legislature until mid-October to act. It didn't, Spotlight PA reported.

What the records add

The bipartisan bill never left committee. Senate Bill 1079, from Sen. Gene Yaw, a Lycoming County Republican, would license and regulate skill video gaming. It has eight co-sponsors: Democrats Anthony Williams, Sharif Street, Nick Miller, Art Haywood, Marty Flynn and James Malone, and Republicans David Argall and Elder Vogel. It was referred to the Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee on Nov. 11, 2025. The bill page shows no action since: 350 days as of Tuesday.

No roll call exists. No skill games bill reached a floor vote in either chamber this session, Spotlight PA reported. That means there's no vote record showing where individual lawmakers stand on a tax rate or a per-machine fee. Garrity, as state treasurer, has no vote in the legislature.

Money to legislative leaders, side by side. The same Pinnacle Vending owner also gave to legislative campaigns this year, according to Spotlight: $47,777 to Senate Republicans' campaign committee in September, $2,500 to Senate Democrats' committee in August, $2,777 to Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa in September and $5,000 to Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman in June. We list these next to the bill record for context. Contributions don't show why any lawmaker acted or didn't. The bill was sent to committee in November 2025, before the contributions listed here.

Our Oct. 23 article covers how the final talks between the House and Senate fell apart.

What happens next

The election is Nov. 3. After it, the House has two voting days scheduled, Nov. 9 and 10, according to its session calendar, and the Senate has two, Nov. 17 and 18, according to its calendar. Any bill that hasn't passed both chambers by Nov. 30 dies, and a skill games bill would have to start over in January with a new number, under whoever wins the governor's race and control of the Senate.