Poker Writer
A lawsuit filed in Philadelphia on behalf of a seriously wounded convenience store worker took aim at manufacturers and distributors of “skill game” betting terminals that were in the store.
The worker, 27-year-old Ahmedein Maham, was shot in the face at close range in an armed robbery of one of the betting terminals in September 2025. He had been working at the Bridge Market in the Frankford district of Philadelphia for only three days when two robbers turned their guns against him. Fortunately for Maham, he survived the potentially deadly incident and is now filing this lawsuit against Banilla Games.
This lawsuit hopes to follow the success of one filed in Hazleton, Pa., from a 2020 robbery-murder that resulted in a $15.3 million windfall to the victim’s estate.
One of the attorneys for this case, Robert Zimmerman, stated the case made in the filing:
These ‘Skill Game’ makers place their machines in stores that do not have the safety and security measures necessary to run a casino operation. We allege that these betting machines have led to deaths and serious injuries to low-wage workers, and pose a direct threat to every community that they enter
Non-Regulation Not the True Issue
The attorneys in the lawsuit take aim at the fact that the games are unregulated and therefore do not have the proper security measures around them. They specifically blame the lack of regulation as the cause of the danger. Another attorney, John Lang explained how:
These unregulated and unlicensed betting machines are magnets for violent crime….The gambling machine defendants are out to make as much profit as possible, while literally putting workers in the line of fire
However, this may not be the correct focus of the ire. The same issue arose in the Chicago area, even with regulated gaming. Robberies became commonplace there despite official regulation of such skill-game betting terminals.
The more central issue seems to be that hosting gambling in small businesses without casino-level security will always be problematic, given the amount of cash present and the type of characters attracted to such locations. Small businesses, such as convenience stores, become soft targets, thereby putting workers at risk.
Going cashless is also not an option for non-regulated gaming sites, as the source of funds would be too traceable.
Other similar gambling activity games like ‘tap-tap’ casinos in California are also hubs for illegal activity. These activities range anywhere on the spectrum from illegal drug trade to petty theft to murder.
