Updated - Government Response to Triennial Review of Gaming Machine Stakes and Prizes

The Government has today issued a response to the consultation on proposals to change the maximum stakes and prizes for category B , C and D Gaming Machines.

The full document can be viewed by following the link below but a summary of the main proposals is as follows:

1. The Government will reinstate the triennial review of stakes and prizes. After the current review, the next anticipated will be in 2016.

2. It is intended to lay draft regulations before Parliament this autumn with the aim of implementation by early 2014.

3. The changes to stakes and prizes are:

   1. Category B1 - the maximum stake will rise to £5 (from £2) with the maximum prize increasing to £10,000 (from £4,000) with the option of a maximum linked progressive jackpot on a premises basis only;

   2. Category B4 - stake up to £2 (from £1) and prize upto £400 (from £250);

   3. Perhaps of most interest and certainly to the pub trade is the increase in the maximum prize on category C machines to £100 (from £70). This is because the vast majority of pub gaming machines are these category C machines; and

   4. Category D combined money and non-money prize maximum prizes move up to £20 (of which no more than £10 may be a money prize. These are up from £15 of which no more than £8 may be prize money).

Interestingly on category B2 (FOBT) machines which constantly receive a lot of negative publicity, the Government has decided not to alter the stakes or prizes but in a note in the consultation state "We consider the future of these machines to be unresolved pending further work which is already underway"

We shall see what that eventually comes to mean!

For a link to the full document click here: Consultation on Proposals for Changes to Maximum Stake and Prize Limits for Category B, C and D Gaming Machines

Update (11/10/13) - news has reached us that the anticipated/hoped for date of implementation of these proposed changes is 14 January 2014. This will be unusual as normally regulations are only implemented on two dates in the year and the next available is 4 April 2014. However the Government hope to implement on 14 January.