Category D gaming machine consultation

The DCMS has opened their consultation on stakes and prizes for Category D gaming machines.

In response to concerns from the British gambling industry that some sectors continue to struggle, including Family Entertainment Centres (FECs) which the DCMS describe as valued community assets and play an important role in tourism and employment, especially in many seaside towns.

The DCMS say in their consultation:

“The last changes in stakes and prizes for Category D machines were made in 2014 and only increased the limits for coin pushers/penny fall. The economic climate for FECs has since changed, particularly in light of closures during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent increases in inflation and energy costs. One lever that the government can pull to support these businesses is to increase the stakes and prizes limits on Category D machines.”

The proposals contained in the consultation include:

1. Crane grab machine maximum stakes to remain at £1 and prize limits to increase from £50 to £75.;
2. Introduce a new category of machines - non-money ‘slot-style’ machines, maintaining the current stake and prize limits for non-money prize machines of 30p and £8;
3. Increase in stakes for non-money prize (other than crane grab) machines to 40p, and increase in maximum prize from £8 to £15;
4. Increase in stakes for non-money prize (other than crane grab) machines to 50p, and increase in maximum prize from £8 to £20;
5. Align the categorisation of pusher machines that pay out non-money prizes with pusher machines that pay out a combination of money and non-money prizes, to create a new ‘pushers’ sub-category of machines; and
6. Maximum stakes for ‘pushers’ to be set at 30p, and maximum prize for ‘pushers’ to be set at £20 (of which no more than £12 can be a money prize for pushers that pay out money prizes).

We anticipate that these proposed changes will be welcomed by the industry, whether they will have a significant positive impact upon the future of the industry, we shall wait and see.