Gaming Act 1968

34 Other uses of machines for amusement purposes

(1) The conditions specified in the following provisions of this section shall be observed where a machine to which this Part of this Act applies is used for gaming—

(a) on any premises in respect of which a permit granted for the purposes of this section is for the time being in force, or

(b) on any premises in respect of which a licence under this Act and a direction given under section 32 of this Act are for the time being in force, where, by virtue of that direction, the provisions of this section have effect in relation to the premises, or

(c) on any premises used wholly or mainly for the purpose of a pleasure fair consisting wholly or mainly of amusements provided otherwise than by means of machines to which this Part of this Act applies, being premises in respect of which a permit granted under section 49 of the Act of 1963 is for the time being in force, or

(d) at a travelling showmen's pleasure fair.

(2) The charge for play for playing a game once by means of the machine shall be one or more coins or tokens inserted in the machine of an amount or value not exceeding (or, if more than one, not in the aggregate exceeding) one shilling.

(3) Except as provided by subsections (4) and (9) of this section, in respect of any one game played by means of the machine no player or person claiming under a player shall receive, or shall be entitled to receive, any article, benefit or advantage other than one (and only one) of the following, that is to say—

(a) a money prize not exceeding two shillings or a token which is, or two or more tokens which in the aggregate are, exchangeable only for such a money prize;

(b) a non-monetary prize or prizes of a value or aggregate value not exceeding five shillings or a token exchangeable only for such a non-monetary prize or such non-monetary prizes;

(c) a money prize not exceeding two shillings together with a non-monetary prize of a value which does not exceed five shillings less the amount of the money prize, or a token exchangeable only for such a combination of a money prize and a non-monetary prize ;

(d) one or more tokens which can be used for playing one or more further games by means of the machine and, in so far as they are not so used, can be exchanged for a non-monetary prize or non-monetary prizes at the appropriate rate.

(4) The condition specified in subsection (3) of this section shall not be taken to be contravened by reason only that a player, after inserting in the machine an amount permitted in accordance with subsection (2) of this section and playing a game successfully, is afforded by the automatic action of the machine an opportunity to play one or more further games without inserting any further coin or token in the machine, if in respect of all those games—

(a) he does not receive, and is not entitled to receive, any article other than a money prize or money prizes of an amount or aggregate amount not exceeding two shillings, and

(b) he does not receive, and is not entitled to receive, any other benefit or advantage apart from the opportunity to play the further game or games.

(5) In the case of a travelling showmen's pleasure fair the opportunity to win prizes by means of amusements which constitute gaming (whether by the use of machines to which this Part of this Act applies or otherwise) shall not constitute the only, or the only substantial, inducement to persons to attend the fair.

(6) The provisions of Schedule 9 to this Act shall have effect with respect to the grant and renewal of permits for the purposes of this section.

(7) No permit for the purposes of this section shall be granted in respect of any premises where a licence under this Act is for the time being in force in respect of them or where a club or a miners' welfare institute is for the time being registered in respect of them under Part II of this Act; and, where such a licence is granted or a club or a miners' welfare institute is so registered in respect of any premises, and a permit granted for the purposes of this section is then in force in respect of those premises, the permit shall thereupon cease to have effect.

(8) In this section " non-monetary prize " means a prize which does not consist of or include any money and does not consist of or include any token which can be exchanged for money or money's worth or used for playing a game by means of the machine ; and for the purposes of subsection (3)(d) of this section a token or tokens shall be taken to be exchanged for a non-monetary prize or prizes at the appropriate rate if either—

(a) the value or aggregate value of the prize or prizes does not exceed five shillings and the token or tokens exchanged represent the maximum number of tokens which can be won by playing a game once by means of the machine, or

(b) in any other case, the value or aggregate value of the prize or prizes does not exceed five shillings and bears to five shillings a proportion not exceeding that which the number of tokens exchanged bears to the maximum number of tokens which can be won by playing a game once by means of the machine.

(9) The Secretary of State may by order direct that any provision of this section which is specified in the order and which specifies a sum shall have effect as if, for that sum, there were substituted such other sum as may be specified in the order.