B4 gaming machines

Machine category	Max stake	Max prize	Permitted location	Max number of machines
				Members' club, Miners’ welfare club or commercial club	Bingo premises   Adult gaming centre	Betting shops   Tracks with pool betting	2005 Act large casino	2005 Act small casino	1968 Act casino
B4	£2	£400	2005 Act and 1968 Act casinos    Betting shops   Tracks with pool betting   Bingo premises Adult gaming centre Members' club, Miners’ welfare club or commercial club	Max 3	Max 20% of the total number of machines available for use on the premises	Max 4   Any combination of categories B to D	Max 150   Any combination of categories B to D   (subject to machine/table ratio 5-1)	Max 80   Any combination of categories B to D   (subject to machine/table ratio 2-1)	Max 20 any combination of categories B to D   or   any number of C or D machines instead

Members' clubs and miners' welfare institutes may site up to three machines from categories B3A, B4, C or D (only one can be B3A) with a club machine permit. Commercial clubs may site up to three machines from categories B4, C or D (not B3A machines). 

AGC and bingo premises licences granted before 13 July 2011 are entitled to make available four (for AGC) or eight (for bingo) category B3/B4 gaming machines, or 20% of the total number of gaming machines, whichever is the greater.  

Licences and permits required

B4 machines can only be made available in casino, betting shops, tracks with pool betting, bingo halls, adult gaming centres, members' clubs, miners’ welfare clubs or commercial clubs. So you must have either a 2005 Act casino operating licence, a 1968 Act casino operating licence, a general betting standard operating licence, a pool betting licence, non-remote bingo operating licence, an AGC licence or a gaming machine permit to make them available. 

If you are a machine manufacturer or supplier you will need a gaming machine technical licence, which type will depend on the nature of your business. 

Gaming machine technical standards

For the full details of the technical standards to which this category of machine must comply see Machine standards category B3 & B4 

All gaming machines sited on casino premises must comply with our gaming machine technical standards. 

Test houses

Category B4, C, and D gaming machines can be tested via an independent laboratory or via the manufacturers own processes under strict controls. 

For categories A, B1, B2, B3, B3A, B4, C, D, server networked and downloadable, cashless payment, linked progressives and wireless networks refer to the Gaming machine testing strategy. 

Return to player (RTP)

B4 machines must display the “theoretical target percentage return to player”. 

RTP is an average measured over a large number of games and will vary over a typical session due to normal game volatility. It is a matter for the manufacturer to decide upon the game RTP and there is no minimum requirement but the minimum average return must be displayed to the player for the game.