Pace-O-Matic compliance officer seizes $400,000 in IRS investigation
The former compliance officer for Georgia skill game maker Pace-O-Matic is in trouble, apparently for failing to comply with IRS regulations.
Former Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Rick Goodling resigned as the company's national compliance director more than a month ago. A company spokesperson told the Pennsylvania Capital Star that Pace-O-Matic officials were informed of an ongoing federal investigation into his personal taxes.
In a seizure notice posted online Sunday, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division said it had seized $443,052 from Goodlin. That includes $152,862 in cash. The rest was seized after the IRS froze his bank accounts.
"We have and will continue to fully cooperate with the IRS investigation and will continue to engage with law enforcement on this matter," Pace-O-Matic spokesman Mike Barley said in a statement to The Capital Star cooperate."
Controversial Industry
Pace-O-Matic is the market leader in Pennsylvania's controversial skill gaming segment. The company and similar providers argue that their games cannot be classified as slot machines or illegal games of chance because skill is more important than luck. These machines have skill-based features, such as bonus games that require players to memorize complex patterns.
In December, a Pennsylvania court ruled that games of skill did not constitute illegal gambling, so Pennsylvania State Police did not have the authority to seize the machines.
Michelle Henry, the state's attorney general, is appealing the decision to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
A delicate balance
For Pace-O-Matic, maintaining the right stance of "almost legal" is a delicate balance, and Goodlin's job is to "remove illegal slot machines that should not be on the market," as he told a state Senate committee So 2019.
Goodlin also said his 27 years with the state police and 15 years as chief of the gaming unit made him a recognized expert on the legality of gaming terminals.
Goodlin testified that Pace-O-Matic's compliance team consisted largely of former state troopers and liquor enforcement officers who encouraged the company to replace illegal games with games of skill.
Skill gaming is opposed by many lawmakers and the state's casino industry. But Pace-O-Matic says the machines are an important source of revenue for small business owners. The company is working to regulate and tax the machines to ensure the industry's legitimacy.
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Source: www.casino.org
