How to play arcade machines

How to play arcade machines: the essentials

UK arcades fall into two broad types, and the machines in each are governed by different rules. Adult gaming centres (AGCs) are high-street and seaside venues aimed at adults, with slot-style machines in Categories B3, B4 and C. Family entertainment centres (FECs) are mainly built around low-stake Category D machines such as coin pushers and cranes; licensed FECs can also have Category C machines for adults. This guide is written for adults; the 18+ rules are explained in each section.

Whichever venue you are in, the routine is the same: find out what category the machine is, read its rules and return percentage, decide what you will spend, then play and collect. Our where to play hub covers other venue types, and our guides hub has more practical pages.

Adult gaming centre or family arcade: know which you are in

The number and mix of machines each venue may offer is set out in the Commission’s summary of machine provisions by premises (opens in a new tab). The key differences are below.

The government announced in May 2024 that AGCs and bingo halls would be allowed two Category B machines for each Category C or D machine. At 21 October 2026 that change was not in force, and the 20% cap still applied.

Stake and prize limits on arcade machines

Every machine’s maximum stake and prize comes from its category, listed on the Gambling Commission’s gaming machine categories page (opens in a new tab). These are the ones you are likely to see in an arcade.

Machines in Categories B and C, and most Category D machines, must display a theoretical return percentage. Crane grabs and penny falls are the exceptions. There is no legal minimum return for any category. For more, see UK slot machine categories.

Playing slot-style machines in an adult gaming centre

Learning how to play arcade machines in an adult gaming centre is mostly learning the cabinets, which play like a cross between a fruit machine and an online slot. Many are multi-game terminals: you load credit, pick a game from a menu, choose a stake up to the category limit and press start. Category B3 games can take up to £2 a game and pay up to £500; Category C games up to £1 and £100.

Before choosing a game, open its information screen. It should show the rules and paytable before you commit, and the return percentage the machine is set to target. The credit meter should be viewable in pounds and pence, which makes it easier to track spend than counting coins. When you finish, press collect: depending on the venue, the machine pays coins or prints a ticket you exchange at a counter or change machine. Our arcade slot machines page describes the games you are likely to see.

How coin pushers and penny falls work

A coin pusher has a moving shelf that pushes coins towards a ledge. You drop a coin onto the playfield, aiming to land it where it will nudge others over the edge into the win tray. Coins that fall off the sides usually go into the machine rather than to you. Under the rules for combined money and non-money Category D machines, a pusher takes up to 20p a go and pays out up to £20, of which no more than £10 may be money.

Pushers look like they reward timing and aim, and the drop position does change where a coin lands. But the machine’s design, including how much falls to the sides, sets how much it keeps over time, and penny falls aren’t required to display a return percentage. The page are coin pushers gambling? explains how the law treats them.

How crane grab machines work

A crane grab lets you steer a claw over a pile of prizes and drop it to try to pick one up. As a Category D non-money machine, it can take up to £1 a go and award prizes worth up to £50. Crane grabs don’t have to display a return percentage.

Steering helps you position the claw, but whether a prize is lifted is not purely down to your aim. Our page are crane grab machines rigged? explains what is and isn’t allowed. Treat each go as paying for a short game rather than buying the prize.

Low-stake cash machines and age rules

Category D machines that pay cash prizes are limited to a 10p stake and a £5 prize. By law there is currently no minimum age for Category D, but since 2021 the arcade industry has applied a voluntary 18+ policy to cash-paying slot-style Category D machines. On 16 May 2024 the government announced it would make it an offence to let under-18s play them, as set out in its written statement (opens in a new tab); at 21 October 2026 that offence was not yet in force.

In practice, expect slot-style cash machines to be treated as adult-only, and expect staff to ask for proof of age. Our Category D age rules page tracks the change, and can under-18s play arcade machines? answers the common questions.

Paying, tickets and cashing out

Arcade machines take coins and, on larger cabinets, notes. Many venues run change machines, and some use ticket-in, ticket-out systems where your winnings print as a ticket you can cash or use on another machine. Paying a gaming machine directly with a debit card, including through a phone wallet, is still restricted under the 2007 rules, and credit cards can’t be used.

The government decided in May 2024 to allow direct debit card play once protections such as a £100 limit per transaction are in place, but that had not come into force by 21 October 2026. See cashless payments on machines for the latest position.

How to play arcade machines step by step

1. Set a spend for the visit and bring it in cash; leave cards at home if that helps you stick to it.
2. Check which area of the venue you are in and which machine categories are there.
3. Before playing a slot-style machine, open its info screen to read the rules, paytable and return percentage.
4. Load a small amount of credit rather than your whole budget.
5. Choose a stake that gives you a reasonable number of games for that credit.
6. Collect winnings into the tray or as a ticket, and keep them separate from your budget.
7. Stop when the budget is gone or the time you allowed is up, whichever comes first.

That routine keeps the session in your hands. Our page on how to set a limit on slots has more ideas that work in venues as well as online.

Arcade maths: what a session costs

Whatever the cabinet, the cost of arcade play follows the same maths as any other gaming machine: a stake per game and a long-run return. Here are some illustrative numbers using a return of 85%, a figure chosen only to show the method.

Real sessions spread widely around these averages, and wins tend to get played back in, which is why a fixed cash budget matters more than any choice of machine. The slot cost calculator runs the same sums with your own figures.

Staying in control in arcades: breaks and self-exclusion

Arcades are designed to be absorbing: lights, sounds and short games make time pass quickly. Taking a break between machines, keeping track of the time and leaving cards at home all help. If you want to stop visiting arcades altogether, you can self-exclude: venues run schemes that let you bar yourself from premises for a set period. Our guide to arcade self-exclusion explains how it works.

If arcade play is costing more than you can afford, free help is available any time on the National Gambling Helpline, 0808 8020 133, run by GamCare (opens in a new tab). The NHS also runs specialist gambling clinics.

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.