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B3A gaming machines

There are duties to be paid on gaming machines. You should read this information in conjunction with the guidance from HMRC on GOV.UK (opens in new tab).

These products are gaming machines and not lottery products. However, the type of game is limited to ‘lottery style games’.

The game may appear to offer the player the illusion of some type of gamble or interaction as with other types of gaming machines, but the outcome of the game is predetermined by the virtual lottery ticket that the machine selects when the game starts.

B3A gaming machines requirements

Maximum stake:
£2
Maximum prize:
£500
Permitted location:
Members’ club or miners’ welfare institute only
Maximum number of machines:

Up to a maximum of 1

Licences and permits required

B3A machines can only be made available in:

Category B3A machines cannot be sited in commercial clubs. You must have a club machine permit from your local licensing authority 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

See our gaming machine technical standards (category B3A) for the full details of the technical standards which this category of machine must comply with.

All gaming machines sited on club or miners welfare institute premises must comply with our gaming machine technical standards.

Test houses

You must ensure these gambling products have been tested by a test house before they are released to the market. Test houses are also sometimes referred to as test labs.

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)

B3A machines must display the actual percentage return to player for each lottery class.

The value displayed must be verified either by the manufacturer or accredited test lab for categories B1, B2, B3 and B3A.

Lottery ticket vending machines

Tickets in the following types of lottery can be sold by means of a lottery ticket vending machine.

This includes tickets in a:

  • small society lottery (registered with a local authority)
  • large society lottery (licensed by the Gambling Commission)
  • private society lottery.

This type of machine usually dispenses a scratchcard or pull-tab lottery ticket. There must be no element of skill or game play required by the purchaser and the machine must not determine the outcome of the lottery or display the result within an interval of less than one hour if it is to avoid being classed as a gaming machine and subject to the requirements for gaming machines.

See our guidance on comparing lottery ticket dispensers and category B3A gaming machines (PDF) for detailed information about the differences between the two machines.

Manufacture and supply of lottery ticket vending machines

You do not usually need a licence to manufacture or supply a genuine lottery ticket vending machine to someone lawfully promoting a lottery.

Suppliers of lottery ticket vending machines must ensure that the services they offer do not constitute promoting a lottery - unless they have the necessary permission.

For more information see our advice on organising small lotteries (PDF) and promoting society and local authority lotteries. They contain details on where, and to whom, you can sell tickets for each kind of lottery and what permissions you'll need.

Files

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Last updated: 11 December 2023

Show updates to this content

Following an audit corrected link formatting issues only. Test house link updated

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