Category D meaning in slots

What Category D means

Category D is the bottom tier of the UK slot machine categories. It covers machines where the stakes and prizes are small, which is why it is the only category without a statutory age limit. That doesn’t make it a toy: a Category D cash machine is a gambling machine, with a random outcome and a built-in margin, and this page is written for adults.

The category is a family of subtypes rather than one machine. Coin pushers and crane grabs sit here alongside reel-based cash machines. Our glossary and the guide to crane grab machines and pusher machines cover the different formats.

Category D subtypes and their limits

These limits come from the Commission’s gaming machine categories guide (opens in a new tab). Category D machines must show a return to player figure unless they are crane grabs or penny falls.

Category D age rules: what is in force

In law, under-18s may currently play Category D machines. Every other category, B1 to C, is 18+. Since 2021 the arcade industry has kept a voluntary ban on under-18s playing cash-paying (cash-out) Category D slot-style machines.

On 16 May 2024 the government decided to make it a criminal offence to invite, cause or permit an under-18 to use cash-out Category D slot-style machines, as set out in the ministerial statement (opens in a new tab). Ticket-out machines, with a 30p stake and prizes up to £8, would not be covered. As at 21 October 2026, no legislation creating the offence has been found in force, so treat it as announced. Our page on Category D age rules tracks progress.

Parents and carers: the voluntary 18+ policy covers cash-out slot-style machines only. See our slot machine FAQs for parents for what each machine type allows.

How a Category D cash machine works

1. Put in coins: a money-prize D machine takes up to 10p a game.
2. Each game is decided by the machine’s software, not by timing or skill.
3. A win adds to the credit meter, up to the £5 maximum prize.
4. Press collect to have the credit paid out in coins.

Worked example: 100 games at 10p is £10 staked. If the machine shows an 80% return (an illustrative figure), the long-run average cost is £2, although a short session could lose the full £10. The stakes are small, but the house edge works in exactly the same way as on a £2 machine; read house edge for why.

Where Category D machines are allowed

Category D can be sited in casinos, betting shops, tracks, bingo halls, adult gaming centres, clubs, family entertainment centres (licensed or with a permit), pubs and travelling fairs. The Commission notes it is unusual outside AGCs, FECs, pubs and fairs. An unlicensed FEC can offer only Category D, while a licensed FEC can also have Category C. For seaside and holiday venues see seaside arcade machines, and for arcade play by adults, arcade 2p and 10p machines.

Machine Games Duty is lower for small machines. A machine costing 20p or less to play with a top prize of £10 or less pays the 5% rate, which covers a 10p money-prize D machine.

Where to play: Category D vs adult online slots

Category D machines are not offered online; all real-money online slots in Great Britain are 18+, with age checks before you can even try a demo. For adults who play online, Coral Casino’s welcome offer is bet £10 on slots and get 100 free spins (new players 18+, 10p per spin on selected games, accept within 48 hours, use within 7 days, no wagering on winnings, some deposit types excluded).

Ladbrokes Casino offers new customers 18+ up to 500 free spins for playing £10 on slots, credited as 50 a day for 10 days at 10p each, with no wagering and a daily claim deadline of 23:59. One company runs both brands, so read the eligibility rules first. Terms apply.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: plan a slot budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.