Bacta’s 2021 Concerns About Online Fruit Machine Sales
Updated: Sep 20
In April 2021, this site reported Bacta’s concerns about gaming machines being offered through online marketplaces. The trade association wanted a stronger response to sales it believed were taking place outside the licensing system.
The original report quoted Bacta’s regional compliance officer, David Miller, describing the number of adverts he had encountered. Those were the trade association’s observations, rather than a verified count of unlawful sales made by this website.
The article also made an overbroad claim that everyone needed a licence merely to own a fruit machine. That is not a sound way to explain the rules. Ownership, commercial supply, repair and making a machine available for gambling are different activities.
The Gambling Commission’s guidance says private collectors may be able to use a single-machine permit when selling, repairing or maintaining an individual machine or part. It also makes clear that this permit is not a substitute for the technical operating licence needed for a commercial business.
If you are considering buying or selling a cabinet, check the Commission’s guidance for the actual transaction and intended use. An online listing alone does not establish that the seller has the appropriate permission.
This article records the 2021 dispute. The unrelated casino offers and event promotions that previously followed it have been removed.
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