Stakes and Prizes
The maximum price the amusement industry can charge its customers for a go on its machines and the value of the prize it can give is set by law. It can only be changed by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. These limits are currently under review. A summary of our requests for change can be found below.
TRIENNIAL SUBMISSION
1. Executive Summary
1.1. The severe and chronic, economic and commercial conditions affecting the industry over the past decade can be significantly addressed through stake and prize increases and new machines or features, (some requiring amendments to the Gambling Act in the future) but most simply by Statutory Instrument.
1.2. A broad range of demanding ‘modern consumers’ has to be satisfied if they are going to continue to want to play machines or be attracted to our offer, which itself therefore has to broaden and change. They need variety and choice both of games and within games.
1.3. Any change is predicated on robust and effective social responsibility, which is already central to industry operations.
1.4. The case for our propositions is bolstered by qualitative and quantitative evidence that demonstrates economic value to the industry and the economy as well as public acceptance of what is proposed.
1.5. The changes will generate in total a recurring economic impact of £385.2 million including tax and excise receipts.
1.6. Previous changes to stakes and prizes in our sector have not led to any adverse social responsibility consequences. Problem gambling levels have remained constant.
1.7. Previous stakes and prizes increases have provided a boost to the sector or at least inhibited some of the decline.
1.8. Providing the opportunity to invest in new popular equipment that appeals to a broad range of customers, particularly at the seaside, will mean the older legacy machine is more likely to disappear from the market.
1.9. The suggested changes we propose are in no particular order:
1.9.1. Proposal 1. Category B3 – new £2.50 maximum stake, no change to maximum prize of £500.
1.9.2. Proposal 2. Category C – new £2 maximum stake with a new maximum prize of £150.
1.9.3. Proposal 3. Category D Cranes – new £2 maximum stake with a new £75 maximum non-monetary prize.
1.9.4. Proposal 4. Category D Pushers – new maximum prize of £22 of which no more than £12 cash and new maximum stake of 25p to accommodate token pushers.
1.9.5. Proposal 5. Category D Non-complex Other – raise the maximum non-monetary prize to £10 and the maximum stake from 30p to 50p for prize only machines, and with cash and non-monetary prize machines align the cash element with that for Category D complex machines.
1.9.6. Proposal 6. For Category D complex machines, bacta is supporting the case made directly by BALPPA for a 20p maximum stake and a maximum prize of £8 in cash or tokens.
1.9.7. Proposal 7. Permit in-venue linked jackpots for Category B3 machines to a maximum value equivalent to one times the maximum permitted prize on a B3 machine – currently £500 in total.
1.9.8. Proposal 8. Permit the subdivision of the Category C into sub-categories as is currently permissible under Secondary Legislation for Category B machines.
1.9.9. Proposal 9. Open discussion on how the player can pay for their games in a cashless society and on what method, in a socially responsible way, players can use their money to play gaming machines.
1.9.10. Proposal 10. A new Category B5 entertainment machine with a maximum stake of £10 and a maximum prize of £125 with a game length of at least 30 seconds.
1.9.11. Proposal 11. Introduce a percentage cap on the number of the new Category B5 machines permitted to 10% of the total number of machines permitted in AGCs and bingo hall.
1.9.12. Proposal 12. Raise both the maximum aggregate stake and prize for prize gaming (prize bingo) in FECs and AGCs to £1000, with an individual maximum prize of £100 and raising the maximum stake to £2.
1.9.13. We are proposing no change to B3A or B4 machines.
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