Gaming donations

Garrity’s debate declaration came during one of her biggest fundraising hauls, around 85% of which came from skill game operators.

Garrity received at least $4.5 million from skill-game interests during the latest fundraising period, donations that provided most of her campaign cash. The Pennsylvania Amusement and Music Machine Association, a trade group representing skill-game operators and other coin-operated entertainment businesses, contributed $2 million.

The Pennsylvania Amusement and Music Machine Association, an industry lobbying group, contributed $2 million. John Conley, owner of Pittsburgh-based Pinnacle Vending, personally gave another $2 million. Joseph Rocca, owner of Rite Touch Distribution, contributed $500,000. In May, Pace-O-Matic founder Michael Pace provided a flight valued at $33,500 as an in-kind contribution, separate from the $4.5 million.

Court documents identified Conley and his father as leaders of an alleged illegal gambling enterprise that paid nearly $100,000 in kickbacks to Rick Goodling, Pace-O-Matic’s former compliance director. Prosecutors alleged the payments bought protection from complaints about illegal machines. Neither Conley was charged in connection with that investigation, though Goodling later pleaded guilty to money laundering.

The elder Conley previously owned and operated Buffalo Skills Games Inc. and J.J. Amusement Inc. The two companies pleaded guilty to felony corrupt-organization charges involving the distribution of illegal gambling machines. They agreed to dissolve and forfeit $5 million in assets. Conley appeared in court representing the companies but was not personally charged. He was, however, convicted in a gambling and money-laundering case in 1995.

Deibler Brothers Novelty Co., a Schuylkill County gaming-machine business owned by Arthur and Donald Deibler and Joe Ney, was also linked to Goodling. In February, Deibler Brothers pleaded guilty to felony corrupt organizations for installing and operating illegal gambling devices across more than a dozen Pennsylvania counties. The company was sentenced to probation and ordered to forfeit $3 million in cash and assets, according to the state attorney general’s office.

WHYY News reached out to PAMMA, Pinnacle, Rite Touch Distribution and Pace-O-Matic for comment but none responded by publication.

Shapiro’s contributions

Garrity said Shapiro wants to tax skill games at a higher rate because he is “in the pocket of casinos.” She pointed to Michael Rubin, CEO of Fanatics, as one of Shapiro’s largest benefactors.

“Why does he want to tax them [skill games] at 52%? I can tell you why, because he knows they cannot exist at 52% because he doesn’t care about our small businesses and our veterans that frequent American Legions and VFWs,” she said. “He doesn’t care about our volunteer fire companies that are hanging on by a thread, and they use this money to upgrade their equipment.”

According to campaign finance reports, Rubin, whose company operates sports-betting and online-casino businesses, which are taxed at 54%, donated $146,000 to Shapiro between 2024 and 2025.

Shapiro also received $50,000 from Operators for Skill PAC, which is affiliated with Pace-O-Matic, in June.

Holman said that the new contributions may be too late to help her much in this election cycle, but the new money and new connections could help her later.

“This is unusual in the fact that it’s such a last-minute switch,” he said. “I don’t see this pulling off the election for her this time around, but she’s now become close buddies to the skill games industry and very wealthy interests within that industry, and she can continue to use that relationship for future elected offices.”