{"id":7276,"date":"2022-02-23T15:33:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-23T15:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bettingwebsites.org.uk\/?page_id=7276"},"modified":"2022-02-24T10:32:42","modified_gmt":"2022-02-24T10:32:42","slug":"can-you-have-slots-fruit-machines-in-your-home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bettingwebsites.org.uk\/articles\/casino-guides\/can-you-have-slots-fruit-machines-in-your-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Have Slots & Fruit Machines In Your Home?"},"content":{"rendered":"
For those of a certain age, there is something about an old-fashioned slot machine that boasts a degree of nostalgia. Whether it be their own days standing in a pub and playing slot games whilst having a drink or the memory of their parents doing so when they were younger, there are plenty of people out there who like to play on slots and gaming machines. Indeed, there is something of a cottage industry nowadays in installing such machines in the personal home of others, but what does the law saw about this?<\/p>\n
In essence, there is nothing wrong with owning a slot machine and playing on it in your own home. You can even let other people play on your fruit machine<\/a> when they come round to visit, with things only becoming problematic when you either ask them for money for the privilege or they need to put money into the machine to make it work. At this point, you\u2019ll need to have a gambling licence<\/a> in order to stay on the right side of the law, with most people not having their own gambling licence and therefore falling foul of the UKGC.<\/p>\n The first place to look is whether or not it is technically legal to own a slot machine. The short answer to that is that yes, it is entirely legal. Having and operating a fruit machine in order to amuse yourself is completely fine and there is no need to obtain a gambling licence in order to do so. If you have friends around to your house and they want to play on your gambling machine then that is also fine, as is allowing your family members to play on the machine when you\u2019re not using it yourself. All of that is totally above board.<\/p>\n Problems only start arising if you want to charge your friends or family for the pleasure of using your slot machine. Regardless of whether you\u2019re asking them for a set fee, such as \u00a35, to play on the slot machine for a given period of time or you\u2019re in a position whereby the machine is fully working and they need to put coins into it to trigger its action, as soon as any money is involved there is a need to have a gambling licence of some sort. If you don\u2019t have a licence then you\u2019ll be breaking the law by allowing people to play your machines for money.<\/p>\n In Britain, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission is willing and able to issue a Single Machine Permit, which are specially designed for people that collect and use gaming machines in private. It allows for the repair, maintenance and sale of such machines and their individual parts and is a licence type that is limited to individuals<\/a>, rather than commercial businesses. It costs \u00a325 to apply for such a licence and works as an alternative to Gaming Machine Technical Operating Licences, also issued by the UKGC.<\/p>\n This type of licence is likely to be the one that you\u2019ll need to get if you want to charge others to use your machine. The clue about it is in the title, though, given that it is a Single Machine <\/em>Permit. In other words, you can\u2019t get one and then have a dozen slot machines at home that you charge people to use. If you are in any doubt whatsoever about what is allowed and what isn\u2019t, the best thing to do is to contact the Gambling Commission directly, who will be more than happy to help explain how licences work and which one you\u2019ll need.<\/p>\n Knowing that it\u2019s legal for you to have a fruit machine at home is one thing, but knowing how to actually get one is something else entirely. Obviously all of the usual second-hand places are a good place to start, with the likes of eBay and Gumtree awash with people selling old slot machines. Of course, just because they\u2019re selling them doesn\u2019t mean that you should be buying them and it is important to weigh-up how reliable such sellers are. Instead, you\u2019d be much better placed to turn towards genuine and trusted retailers.<\/p>\nIs It Legal To Own One?<\/h2>\n
What Sort Of Licence Allows You To Charge Money?<\/h2>\n
How You Can Buy Them<\/h2>\n