Following a Coinslot article earlier this month describing the frustration felt by smaller seaside FECs at the lack of clarity in the government’s review of stakes and prizes, more operators have come forward to criticise the chaos new proposals could cause, and the complete absence of much-needed support the review was meant to provide. The people are rising.
More seaside FEC operators have written to Coinslot to express their frustration at the government’s review of stakes and prizes, as concern mounts that increased duties and tangled regulation could effectively wipe out the seaside sector.
Following last week’s report into the difficulties already faced by smaller businesses eking out a living from their current machine allowance, a number of site owners, who have requested to remain anonymous, have contacted Coinslot to highlight the flaws in the current proposals outlined by policymakers.
“For my arcade, with 70 Cat D fruit machines, this new review does zero for me,” said one operator from the north of England. “I am fucked, as are many other UFEC arcades around the country. So much for thriving, there is zero in this document that helps me.”
One of the proposed changes to stakes and prizes in the review is the creation of a “new pusher/penny fall – money and/or non-money prize’ category ([which] includes pusher machines previously in non-money prize category)” and sets the stake limit at 30p.
“Putting pushers up to 30p a go?” said the operator. “Is this a sick joke? Are they bringing out a 30p coin?”
And there was more disdain and anger.
“With roll downs, they’re also consulting on options for an increase up to a 50p stake and £20 prize limit. But roll downs are 2p a play. Does this now mean tickets won on a roll down can only be traded for a prize up to £20?”
Despite the review document taking pains to state that the government recognises FECs make “an important contribution to tourism and employment in many towns, particularly near the coast,” where they are “valued community assets where families can spend time together and have fun,” other operators believe the claim is purely lip service.
“I’ve currently put my application in for a Cat C licensed FEC, up to £100, but looking back is it all gonna be worth it?” said an operator working on the south coast. “There’s no one in government that understands what an amusement arcade is! I scrapped all my 10p pushers as no one can afford to play them for years.”
The rage expressed by the operators was intense, particularly so given that it’s been a sector consistently viewed at the very bottom of the harm spectrum. Indeed, seaside operations have always been considered the quintessential offering of a domestic trip to the coast. They even featured heavily in every campaign conducted by all the parties at the last election, not least Labour who were photographed and interviewed by media in FECs and piers up and down the UK coast.
And yet they feel, as was frustratingly described by one operator talking to Coinslot ….fucked.
As if tax rises, increasing energy costs, NIC hikes, rampant business rates and a new statutory levy weren’t enough to worry about – the existential threat to the very entertainment offering they deliver to seaside visitors might now be the push too far.
