BACTA Hails Accord Amending Classification Of Claw Games Operating In Great Britain

LONDON -- The British Amusement Catering Trade Association reports that it has received an agreement from the Gambling Commission under which certain types of machine that operate as "skill with prize" (SWP) games will be reclassified as "category D noncomplex" crane grab machines. The change affects machines that accept no more than £1 and can deliver nonmonetary prizes worth £50 or less.

The commission uses the term "non-complex" to refer to machines in which the game's outcome is mechanically, electromechanically or electronically determined, and cannot be altered by electronic or other circuitry, other than (in cranes) a feedback control that maintains a winner percentage.

BACTA explained that, in some cases, premise licenses may be required, or require amendment, in order to place these machines; and some noncertified machine owners will have to apply for an operator's license. "But generally, this new arrangement will clear up an anomaly with this type of machine, whilst ensuring they remain viable and attractive at the current stake and prize level of £1 / £50," the association said.

BACTA, some game manufacturers and the Gambling Commission began looking at the issue last year, with the goal of understanding how cranes and machines, which function in a similar way, determine winners. What was clear, the association reported, was that most machines that actuate a mechanical arm or similar device to select a prize, and which employ a compensator unit to determine the percentage payout of the machine, needed to be classified as "games of skill and chance combined." The majority of these machines (other than cranes), however, were being operated as games of skill offering a £50 nonmonetary prize from a maximum £1 stake.

The commission has established a timetable for implementing the changes. Where a new permit or a variation to an existing permit is required from the local licensing authority as a result of the reclassification, the process must be underway by Aug. 31 of this year, and the premise license must be granted and in place by Dec. 31. Similarly, an operator who presently operates these machines on the assumption that they are SWPs must apply to the Gambling Commission for an operator's license by the Aug. 31 deadline.

"There was some initial concern that if these machines had been categorized as simple games of chance (Category D non-complex), then the maximum stake would be only 30p, with an £8 nonmonetary prize," said BACTA chief executive John White. "This would have immediately made these machines unviable and would have killed the market overnight. We are therefore delighted that, by working closely with the Gambling Commission, we have reached a very sensible conclusion, which is a good result for all parties.

"Our job now is to make sure all of those affected understand the new position and carry out the necessary permit changes within the timetable agreed by the Commission," White added

A sticker indicating that these games are now classed as category D gaming machines must be attached to the machine. The necessary stickers are available from BACTA. Email info@bacta.org.uk for more information.

The UK's Gambling Commission was set up under the nation's Gambling Act 2005 to regulate commercial gambling in Great Britain in partnership with licensing authorities. In 2013, it took over the responsibilities of the National Lottery Commission to regulate the National Lottery. The commission is an independent, nondepartmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. In addition to arcade games and lotteries, it regulates betting, bingo and casinos, along with gaming machine suppliers and manufacturers and gambling software.