It’s nearly five years since HMRC issued its Guide to Machine Games Duty, an initiative aimed at supporting businesses navigate their way through the MGD process. Now, Sheree Wilson, Excise Lead Project Manager and the woman behind the guide, is taking the time to court industry opinion and keep the guide in the gaming business psyche. She talks to Coinslot about the project.

HMRC has reached out to Coinslot this week to announce that it has re-issued its guide to help businesses understand the Machine Games Duty procedure.

Sheree Wilson, the Excise Lead Project Manager, who originally spoke to readers about the guide following its launch back in the summer of 2021, has been keeping track of engagement with businesses concerning MGD and is keen to sound the industry out once again on its role.

“The introduction of the MGD Guide has proven to be immensely popular, and we have had great success in helping all who requested this document in understanding the process around MGD,” she told Coinslot.

And it has had an expansive reach as Wilson confirmed: “The Guide has now successfully been distributed nationally to those who either have access to a gaming machine, supplies machines, trade bodies linked to gaming machines, Pubco’s and premises with gaming machines.”

Some two years on from her last interview with Coinslot, Wilson thought it time to revisit the Guide’s role for businesses:  “We wanted to ensure that the MGD guide is still relevant within the industry, and to remind everyone that it is still as useful today as it was back in its first launch in 2021.”

She reaffirmed: “The guide’s role is to help save businesses time and money by getting the MGD process right from the start and avoiding unnecessary letters from HMRC because their registration is either wrong, or they have not submitted their return on time.”

So, a refresher and some feedback is now on the MGD menu, and timely too. The duty is gathering some column inches as the Treasury ponders its upcoming Budget, but from the Excise Project Team’s perspective it remains focused on processes – and more importantly whether the guide is helping.

“The industry’s support in this is greatly appreciated as it has been in the past, and its contribution will ensure that we are collaboratively working with those who this guide was designed for,” Wilson explained.

And as a result, the MGD guide has been re-issued.

“We thought it would be a good idea to re-issue the guide to yourselves and that you may consider passing it back onto your customers, partners, clients, or to re-introduce it to your website, TV channels, and Internal publications,” she said. “The version has interactive links that will assist your readers to Register/De Register and understand their responsibility around MGD.”

And most important for Wilson, in particular, is the feedback.

“You will see at the bottom of the guide, there is a live link to a survey. If you would like to complete this survey, please feel free. As always, the industry’s support in this is greatly appreciated as it has been in the past, and its contributions will ensure that we are collaboratively working with those who this guide was designed for.”

Coinslot did warn Wilson that the industry does prefer to get straight to the point, direct and honest: it was a posture, however, she both expected and preferred. 

She stood firmly by her previous commitment that “all comments are listened to and taken on board”. “The aim of the survey,” she advised “is to listen to those that will use the guide the most, and ensure we keep the guide to what is required.”

And she remained steadfast in her support of the principles of the project: “We are there to support the individual no matter how big or small their business may be. By reviewing Registrations and De-registrations in the near future, this living document evolves in time to legislative changes and customer’s needs.”

So Coinslot readers: read it and review it.H

MRC has reached out to Coinslot this week to announce that it has re-issued its guide to help businesses understand the Machine Games Duty procedure.

Sheree Wilson, the Excise Lead Project Manager, who originally spoke to readers about the guide following its launch back in the summer of 2021, has been keeping track of engagement with businesses concerning MGD and is keen to sound the industry out once again on its role.

“The introduction of the MGD Guide has proven to be immensely popular, and we have had great success in helping all who requested this document in understanding the process around MGD,” she told Coinslot.

And it has had an expansive reach as Wilson confirmed: “The Guide has now successfully been distributed nationally to those who either have access to a gaming machine, supplies machines, trade bodies linked to gaming machines, Pubco’s and premises with gaming machines.”

Some two years on from her last interview with Coinslot, Wilson thought it time to revisit the Guide’s role for businesses:  “We wanted to ensure that the MGD guide is still relevant within the industry, and to remind everyone that it is still as useful today as it was back in its first launch in 2021.”

She reaffirmed: “The guide’s role is to help save businesses time and money by getting the MGD process right from the start and avoiding unnecessary letters from HMRC because their registration is either wrong, or they have not submitted their return on time.”

So, a refresher and some feedback is now on the MGD menu, and timely too. The duty is gathering some column inches as the Treasury ponders its upcoming Budget, but from the Excise Project Team’s perspective it remains focused on processes – and more importantly whether the guide is helping.

“The industry’s support in this is greatly appreciated as it has been in the past, and its contribution will ensure that we are collaboratively working with those who this guide was designed for,” Wilson explained.

And as a result, the MGD guide has been re-issued.

“We thought it would be a good idea to re-issue the guide to yourselves and that you may consider passing it back onto your customers, partners, clients, or to re-introduce it to your website, TV channels, and Internal publications,” she said. “The version has interactive links that will assist your readers to Register/De Register and understand their responsibility around MGD.”

And most important for Wilson, in particular, is the feedback.

“You will see at the bottom of the guide, there is a live link to a survey. If you would like to complete this survey, please feel free. As always, the industry’s support in this is greatly appreciated as it has been in the past, and its contributions will ensure that we are collaboratively working with those who this guide was designed for.”

Coinslot did warn Wilson that the industry does prefer to get straight to the point, direct and honest: it was a posture, however, she both expected and preferred. 

She stood firmly by her previous commitment that “all comments are listened to and taken on board”. “The aim of the survey,” she advised “is to listen to those that will use the guide the most, and ensure we keep the guide to what is required.”

And she remained steadfast in her support of the principles of the project: “We are there to support the individual no matter how big or small their business may be. By reviewing Registrations and De-registrations in the near future, this living document evolves in time to legislative changes and customer’s needs.”

So Coinslot readers: read it and review it.