Forming a Strategy to Comply with the Small Games of Chance Law

Since 2012, Pennsylvania has passed 3 laws that substantially changed the requirements for running a successful gaming business in Pennsylvania. Most Organizations in PA survive because of the revenue brought in from Pull-tabs and other games of chance. The frequent changes made to the Small Games of Chance Law threaten this vital revenue, and thus threatens the existence of not only the Organizations, but the Charities whose survival is dependent on donations from these Organizations. 

HOWEVER, THESE CHANGES SHOULD NOT BE AN OBSTACLE TO RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL BAR AND GAMING BUSINESS.

How can your Organization grow its business in such confusing times?

A successful strategy for an Organization MUST cover the following:

1.      Bartenders that sell the tickets, payout winners, and sell food & beverages

2.      Managers that account for daily food & beverage and gaming business

3.      Compliance with ever-changing laws

4.      Retraining new Bartenders, Managers, Trustees/Board Members

1.      Bartenders: Running a successful business in this environment starts with your Bartenders. A good strategy will track each ticket sold by your Bartenders, and every payout made to winning customers. Implementing a good strategy will allow for the Manager to more easily account for the tickets, remove any possibility for your Bartenders to steal money or cheat, and maximize the profit for each and every game put into play.

 

2.      Managers: Your Bar Manager must account for every sale and payout to do his/her job properly. To complicate things, PA Law requires your Organization to maintain up to 14 different records that specify games, winners, and times. Needless to say, your Bar Manager is up against SUBSTANTIAL & TIME CONSUMING HURDLES, not to mention the tremendous pressure from the potential consequences of poor record keeping. Heavy fines and suspension of your gaming license could spell disaster. A successful strategy will allow your Bar Manager to deal with these responsibilities in a time-effective, and stress-relieving manner.

3.      Compliance: With up to a year’s worth of gaming activity for you to input into the Department of Revenue’s e-filing website, and for the BLCE to possibly audit, the chances are greatly increased for fines or worse. Having your gaming records organized is crucial to your Organization’s survival.  If your Organization is audited, your i’s must be dotted and your t’s must be crossed. A successful strategy makes it easy to e-file with the Department of Revenue, and will make for a seamless audit if the BLCE or the Department come knocking. 

4.      Retraining: Organizations like yours see frequent turnover in personnel. Bartenders and Bar Managers come and go, while Trustees and Board Members are voted in and out. To maintain the survival of your Organization, you must insure continuity among ever-changing personnel. A successful strategy makes it easy for a new hire or Trustee to jump right into the system.  A system removes confusion and provides stability in a confusing environment.

Our Customers find all the benefits of having a cohesive approach to their Bar and Gambling business. Sienna, our Food & Beverage and Ticket Management Software, tracks every ticket sale and payout as well as every food & beverage sale made by your Bartenders, provides reports that take hours of work away from your Bar Manager, automatically fills out all reports required by Pennsylvania law, e-files with the Dept. of Revenue so that you don’t have to, and insures continuity in the management of your business, no matter how many of your employees and Trustees come and go.

Contact us today, we would be happy to give you a free demo of our Food & Beverage and Ticket Management system. By partnering with us, your Organization can thrive in difficult times.

 

Paul Jubas

Vice President
814-244-8115
pauljubas@myersintsystems.com
Myers Integrated Systems, LLC