Gaming machine entitlements

What gaming machine entitlements are

Every land-based gaming machine in Great Britain belongs to a category with a stake and prize limit; our gaming machine categories page covers those. Entitlements are the second layer: they say how many machines a particular kind of venue may host, and from which categories. Together, category and entitlement decide what you'll see on the floor of a pub, an arcade or a casino.

Entitlements come from the Gambling Act 2005, mainly section 172 (opens in a new tab), and from regulations and permits. The Gambling Commission summarises them for councils in its GLA Appendix A summary of machine provisions by premises (opens in a new tab). The position below is checked at 21 October 2026, including the casino changes that took effect on 22 July 2025.

Gaming machine entitlements by venue: the full table

Regional casinos, which would be allowed up to 1,250 machines including Category A, exist only in law; none has been built. For a walk through each type of venue as a player, see where to find slot machines in the UK.

The 20% rule in arcades and bingo halls, with worked examples

Adult gaming centres and bingo halls don't have a fixed number of machines. Instead, Category B (in practice B3 and B4) may make up no more than 20% of all the gaming machines available for use. Categories C and D are unlimited. The rule took effect on 13 July 2011 under the 2011 Order on gaming machines in adult gaming centres and bingo premises (opens in a new tab), replacing fixed limits of four (AGCs) and eight (bingo).

The Commission's guidance gives the 25-machine example itself: five or fewer B3 machines. Two refinements matter. First, venues licensed before 13 July 2011 may keep four Category B machines (AGCs) or eight (bingo), or 20%, whichever is greater. Second, only machines that different players can use at the same time without physical hindrance count towards the total, and tablets count. Splitting a venue into two licensed premises doesn't let an operator pile all the B3s into one half: each premises keeps its own entitlement.

How to work out a venue's gaming machine entitlement

1. Identify the venue's licence or permit: casino, betting, bingo or AGC premises licence; FEC permit; club permit; or alcohol licence.
2. Look up the matching row in the entitlement table above.
3. For AGCs and bingo, count every machine that can be played at the same time by different players, including tablets.
4. Multiply that total by 20% and round down to find the Category B maximum (unless a pre-2011 licence allows four or eight).
5. For casinos, count the gaming tables and multiply by five, then apply the overall cap (150 large, 80 small or the 1968 Act sliding scale).
6. For pubs, check whether the venue relies on the automatic two or holds a permit with a specified number.
7. Check the category label on each machine to confirm its stake and prize limits.

Casino machine entitlements after 22 July 2025

Casinos saw the only entitlement changes to take effect in recent years. Following the government's response of 16 May 2024, regulations came into force on 22 July 2025 (SI 2025/734 and SI 2025/735) that:

• raise the ratio for small 2005 Act casinos from two machines per gaming table to five, within the 80-machine cap, and cut the minimum table gaming area from 500m² to 250m²;
• let 1968 Act (converted) casinos take up an extended entitlement of up to 80 machines, including Category B, on a sliding scale, if they have a gambling area of at least 280m², with machines never more than five per gaming table and a combined cap of 80 per physical location;
• make that extended entitlement a one-way choice: once taken up, a casino can't revert to the old default.

The government's sliding scale ran from 80 machines (500m², 16 tables) down to 25 machines (280m², 5 tables). The Commission explains the changes in its non-remote casino legislative changes guidance (opens in a new tab). In Scotland, only the 5:1 small casino ratio and a change to the definition of a gaming table apply. Our casino slot machines guide explains what you'll find on a casino floor.

Pub and club machine entitlements

Pubs and other premises with an on-sales alcohol licence have an automatic entitlement to two machines of Category C or D. The licence holder notifies the council and pays the prescribed fee; the council can't refuse the notification, though it can later remove the entitlement in specific circumstances. To host more, the pub needs a licensed premises gaming machine permit stating the number. Details are on our pub gaming machine permit page.

Members' clubs and miners' welfare institutes may have up to three machines from Categories B3A, B4, C and D, with no more than one B3A. Commercial clubs, such as a privately owned snooker club, may have three from B4, C and D. Both need a club gaming permit or club machine permit. See club fruit machines for how these machines are used in practice.

Family entertainment centres and travelling fairs

A licensed family entertainment centre may have any number of Category C and D machines, but Category C must sit in a separate adults-only area. An unlicensed FEC, operating under a permit from the council, may have any number of Category D machines only. Travelling fairs can also offer any number of Category D. Read our adult gaming centre rules page for how these venues are run, and family entertainment centre machines for the player's view. Category D has no statutory minimum age at present, but these are gambling machines; adults should treat them as such.

What gaming machine entitlements don't cover

• Stakes and prizes, which are set by the machine categories, not the entitlement.
• Online casinos, which have no machine count; online slots follow stake limits of £5 (25+) and £2 (18 to 24) instead.
• Payment rules: debit cards still can't be used directly on gaming machines.
• Machine design: speed, displays and safer gambling tools are set by the Commission's technical standards.
• Skill machines such as quiz machines with no element of chance, which aren't gaming machines.

Announced but not in force: the 2:1 ratio for arcades and bingo

In its 16 May 2024 response, the government said adult gaming centres and bingo premises would move from the 20% cap to a ratio of two Category B machines for every Category C or D machine, applied separately for each type of device (cabinets, in-fills and tablets). That would let a venue with 30 Category C and D cabinets have up to 60 Category B cabinets, rather than the 20% figure.

At 21 October 2026, that change is not in force. The revised text of section 172 of the Gambling Act 2005 on legislation.gov.uk still states the 20% cap, and no regulations bringing in the 2:1 ratio have been found. If you read that arcades can now offer half their machines as Category B, treat the claim with caution.

Timeline of UK gaming machine entitlement changes

Online play has no machine entitlement: where offers fit

An online casino doesn't have a machine count. Its limits are set per spin instead: £5 if you're 25 or over and £2 if you're 18 to 24, with a 2.5-second minimum between spins. The two casinos below are online brands; their offers have nothing to do with venue entitlements, and their game lobbies change, so search for a title before assuming it's there.

Bet £10 on slots at Coral Casino as a new player aged 18+ between 1 October 2026 and 1 February 2027, after a qualifying deposit, and you get 100 free spins at 10p each on selected games; accept them within 48 hours, use them within 7 days, and keep any winnings without wagering. Ladbrokes Casino offers new customers aged 18+ who deposit and spend £10 on slots 50 free spins a day for 10 days (500 maximum), 10p each, claimed by 23:59 each day and valid 7 days, with no wagering. PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafe and prepaid card deposits don't qualify for either. Both are run by LC International Limited (Entain); check the terms on holding accounts at 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.