Limited prize machines
Limited prize machines have been around for many years and the most recent type seems to be the ‘play until you win’ or ‘prize every time’ crane machine, although there may be other types.
Section 249 of the Gambling Act 2005 (opens in a new tab) states that a person does not commit an offence under section 37 or 242 (of the Gambling Act 2005) if they make a gaming machine available for use by an individual; and the individual does not, by using the machine, acquire an opportunity to win a prize of a value in excess of the amount paid for or in connection with use of the machine.
The explanatory notes to the Gambling Act elaborate on this a little and say a ‘limited prize’ is “a prize whose value does not exceed any payment made for use of the machine”. That is, the prize value does not exceed the cost to play.
This exemption means that a licence or permit is not required to cover the siting of a limited prize machine.
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Skill with prize machines (SWPs)
Last updated: 18 May 2021
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