Adult gaming centre rules

Adult gaming centre rules and the three kinds of arcade

The word 'arcade' covers three different legal set-ups, and the rules depend on which one you're in. An adult gaming centre (AGC) is an adults-only venue with higher-stake machines. A licensed family entertainment centre (licensed FEC) admits families but keeps Category C machines in an adults-only section. An unlicensed FEC runs on a council permit and offers only Category D machines. The table below sets out how adult gaming centre rules compare with both kinds of FEC.

Our player guides cover each venue: adult gaming centres, family entertainment centre machines and seaside arcade machines. This page focuses on the rules, taken from the Gambling Commission's guidance to licensing authorities (Parts 21, 22 and 24) and the Gambling Act 2005.

Who can run an adult gaming centre

An AGC operator needs two permissions: a gaming machine general operating licence for an adult gaming centre from the Gambling Commission, and a premises licence from the council where the venue sits. The operating licence brings the Commission's Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) with it, including social responsibility rules on underage gambling and self-exclusion. The premises licence brings mandatory conditions on notices, access, cash machines and alcohol.

Councils are told to pay particular attention to where AGCs are and how people get in, especially in places such as shopping centres or airports where young people may be unsupervised. Operators must also make sure their policies take account of the structure and layout of the premises when preventing underage gambling.

Machines in an adult gaming centre: the 20% rule

An AGC may make Category B machines available up to 20% of the total number of gaming machines available for use, and any number of Category C and D. Category B in an AGC means B3 and B4 only; B2 terminals and B3A lottery machines aren't allowed. The Commission's B3 gaming machines page (opens in a new tab) sets out the B3 limits: £2 stake and £500 prize. B4 machines are £2 and £400.

The 20% rule came in on 13 July 2011 through the 2011 Order on gaming machines in AGCs and bingo premises (opens in a new tab), replacing a fixed limit of four Category B machines. AGCs licensed before that date may keep four or 20%, whichever is greater. Only machines that different players can use at the same time without physical hindrance count, and tablets count. If an AGC is split into two licensed premises, each half keeps only its own entitlement. Our gaming machine entitlements page compares this with other venues.

Mandatory conditions inside an AGC

Every AGC premises licence carries mandatory conditions. There are currently no extra default conditions specific to AGCs.

• Age notice: a notice at every entrance stating that no one under 18 will be admitted.
• No direct access (England and Wales): customers can't walk straight into an AGC from certain other premises, including family entertainment centres, clubs and alcohol-licensed premises. Councils may accept a separating area such as a street or a café as enough.
• Cash machines: any ATM must be sited so customers have to stop gambling at the machines to use it.
• Alcohol: no alcohol may be drunk while gambling facilities are provided, and a notice saying so must be displayed at every entrance. In Scotland, alcohol can't be sold on the premises either.

Under sections 46 and 47 of the 2005 Act, it is an offence to invite, cause or permit a child or young person to gamble or to enter certain gambling premises, which includes an AGC.

Self-exclusion and safer gambling in arcades

AGC operators must offer self-exclusion to customers who ask for it, under social responsibility code provision 3.5.6 of the LCCP, and there are multi-operator schemes so one request can cover several venues in an area. The Commission's self-exclusion page for players (opens in a new tab) explains how it works.

1. Ask staff at the AGC, or the operator's head office, for self-exclusion.
2. Agree the length of the exclusion and which venues it covers; ask about the local multi-operator scheme.
3. Provide a photo and identifying details so staff can recognise you.
4. Stay away for the full period; the operator will challenge you if you return.
5. Add support: the National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133, free, 24/7) and GAMSTOP for online gambling.

Our guide to self-exclusion from arcades and bingo halls and the page can I self-exclude from arcades go into more detail.

Licensed family entertainment centres: rules for C and D machines

A licensed FEC needs the same pair of permissions as an AGC, but a different class of operating licence, and it may offer any number of Category C and D machines. Children and young people may enter and play Category D machines, but must not use Category C. The Commission notes that FECs are common at seaside resorts, airports and motorway services and often serve unaccompanied young people, which councils should weigh when deciding applications and inspecting venues.

• Segregation: Category C machines must be clearly separated from Category D so under-18s can't reach them.
• Adult area: where under-18s are admitted, the over-18 area must have a barrier and prominent notices at its entrance saying under-18s are not permitted.
• Supervision: staff must prevent and challenge under-18s trying to use Category C, by direct line of sight or monitored CCTV.
• No direct access from a casino, AGC or betting premises (other than a track).
• Other conditions: a summary of the licence terms displayed inside, layout kept as the approved plan, no lottery ticket sales, ATMs sited so players must stop gambling, and no alcohol drunk while gambling is offered.

Unlicensed FECs and the FEC gaming machine permit

An unlicensed FEC offers Category D machines only, under a family entertainment centre gaming machine permit from the council (Schedule 10 of the Act). The premises must be wholly or mainly used for making gaming machines available, so a whole shopping centre or airport can't qualify; machines are usually in a designated, enclosed area. Adding Category C would need an operating licence and a premises licence, turning the venue into a licensed FEC.

The Commission notes that the first permits granted under the Act expired in 2017, ten years after they were issued.

Category D machines and the age question

Category D machines in FECs range from 10p cash machines with a £5 top prize to crane grabs at £1 for a prize worth up to £50, and coin pushers at 20p for up to £20 (no more than £10 in cash). The law sets no minimum age for Category D today. The industry has applied a voluntary 18+ rule on cash-paying, slot-style Category D machines since 2021, and the government announced on 16 May 2024 that it would make letting under-18s play them an offence; at 21 October 2026 that offence isn't in force. Details are on our Category D age rules page.

These are gambling machines, not children's games. Adults deciding whether to play should treat them like any other machine with a house edge; parents may find our children and arcade machines guide useful.

What arcade play costs adults: worked numbers

Arcade stakes look small, but they add up. The table uses each machine's maximum stake and an assumed return of 80%, a hypothetical figure used to show the arithmetic. Category B3 and C machines must display their own target return; read the label before playing.

Any single visit can finish above or below these averages. Our guide to 2p and 10p arcade machines and are coin pushers gambling explain how the low-stake machines work.

What the AGC and FEC rules don't cover

• Bingo premises, which have their own licence type but share the 20% Category B rule.
• Betting shops and casinos, which have separate entitlements; see gaming machine categories.
• Online arcades or slot sites, which follow online rules: 18+ with age verification, £5 per spin for players aged 25 and over and £2 for those aged 18 to 24.
• Card payments: debit cards still can't be used directly on gaming machines; see debit cards on gaming machines.
• Skill-only amusements with no element of chance, which aren't gaming machines.

Timeline of adult gaming centre and FEC rules

The 2:1 ratio would allow two Category B machines for each Category C or D machine, counted by device type. Until regulations bring it in, the 20% cap in section 172 of the Act applies. For the history behind seaside venues, see British seaside arcades.

Arcades, online slots and our offers

Online casinos aren't arcades and don't follow AGC or FEC rules. Every UK-licensed online casino is 18+, checks your age and identity before you play, and caps slot stakes at £5 per spin (or £2 if you're 18 to 24). The offers below are online only. Slot lists change, so search each lobby rather than assuming a game is there.

New players aged 18+ at Coral Casino who deposit and bet £10 or more on slots between 1 October 2026 and 1 February 2027 get 100 free spins worth 10p each on selected games; accept them within 48 hours and use them within 7 days, and winnings carry no wagering. New customers aged 18+ at Ladbrokes Casino who deposit and spend £10 on slots get 50 free spins a day for 10 days, up to 500, each worth 10p, to be claimed by 23:59 daily and used within 7 days, with no wagering. PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafe and prepaid card deposits don't qualify. Both casinos are run by LC International Limited (Entain), so check whether you can join both. 18+, 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.