SHAMOKIN, Pa. — At a parlor in Shamokin that used to be filled with skill games, the games are now gone, and the business on North Second Street has taken on a new identity since the previous source of income was banned.
Vinny Clausi, a former Northumberland County Commissioner, gave his Little Vegas skill-games parlor a makeover, turning it into Vinny’s Philadelphia Cheesesteaks, marking the first day of business on Friday.
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“The whole state of Pennsylvania, fire companies, all these clubs, you know, they make a living in that field,” says Clausi.
The state’s supreme court ruled skill games were slot machines in June and required all establishments to remove them by October 13th.
Clausi says he had already begun planning for the transition months ago when he saw income from the games start to fall.
“The last six months, it got worse, and worse, and worse, because what happened is now they can play on the phone,” explains Clausi.
The conversion to the restaurant was easier for Clausi because the building already had a kitchen, which he installed as a backup plan while establishing Little Vegas.
“I built a kitchen behind there, just in case something ever happened, and here it is; they took our machines away,” says Clausi.
Owner Vinny Clausi says the main goal of transitioning to Vinni’s Philadelphia Cheesesteaks is to make sure his employees, many of whom have been with him for years, still have a place to work.
“I have employees, okay, I don’t want to bring them on the street, they need a pay, they need a salary, and I did it for them” states Clausi.
For Clausi, this is his way of filling the void left by skill games. He hopes other businesses can do the same.
“Don’t keep an empty building, do something else,” remarks Clausi. “Even if you do something and you fail, you still can say I tried”.
Though its doors are open now, Clausi says the rebranded restaurant will hold a formal grand opening in early November.