Grace Rufalo, WJAC; 'I thought it was a joke': Tarot reader sues borough over Pennsylvania fortune telling law
"A Hanover shop owner who built a business around tarot readings and spiritual guidance is now in a legal fight over an old Pennsylvania law that dates back to the Civil War.
Beck Ravenswood, owner of The Serpent’s Key, said they have been interested in witchcraft since childhood...
“I ended up opening my shop in Hanover in 2023,” Ravenswood added.
That same year, they said, they ran into legal trouble with the Hanover Borough Police Department after an officer came to the shop.
“He came in to cite me to tell me that tarot reading was illegal,” Ravenswood said...
The issue centers on Pennsylvania’s “fortune telling statute,” first established in 1861.
The law says, in part, “A person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree if he pretends for gain or lucre, to tell fortunes or predict future events, by cards, tokens,” and so on...
“In 2025, I was given something called a temporary injunction, which allows me to continue reading tarot cards currently,” Ravenswood said. “And because of this, I am the only person in the state that can legally read tarot cards right now.”"
