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Amazingly, there are incredibly few laws governing the operation of fruit machines in the UK. (There are lots of laws concerning who's allowed to operate them and where they can be sited and so on, but almost none regulating the way the machines actually play.) For example, the legal-looking sign on the machine saying words to the effect of "THIS MACHINE OPERATES AT A MINIMUM PAYOUT OF 70%" or similar is actually referring to an entirely voluntary code of conduct, not a legal obligation. Also, there is no legal obligation
specifying how long the machine has to take to pay out that percentage of
its takings. (The same code of conduct suggests that the machine should
attain the percentage within 10,000 plays (£2,500 on the typical machine),
but again this is purely voluntary. If it wanted to, the machine could
refuse to pay out for ten years without breaking the law.) THE LAW CONCERNING FRAUD Where fruit machines DO fall foul of the law, though, is in being criminally fraudulent - that is to say, claiming that a particular feature is a "gamble" when in fact there is a zero chance of the player winning. This is entirely against the law. It's the equivalent of a raffle with no winning tickets, or a street conman running a three-card "Find The Ace" game where the ace is actually hidden up his sleeve. The fruit machine is, in effect, lying to you to get your money. If the "High" and "Low" buttons were both marked "Press Here To Lose" - which is the reality of the situation - nobody would ever press them. So the machine pretends that you have a chance of winning the gamble by selecting the right one. But you don't. Whatever you press, the machine will spin in the result it has decided in advance. That's fraud, and it's a serious criminal offence, yet it happens in every pub, club and amusement arcade in Britain every single day.
You can start by contacting your own MP and demanding that they take action on this institutionalised corporate robbery. If you don't know how to get in touch with them, this website will tell you who your MP is, and will send them a fax on your behalf. You can also contact the UK Gaming Board, the regulatory body for all forms of gambling in the UK. The UK Gaming Board is sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which governs all legislation regarding fruit machines and other forms of gambling. And finally, you can register your disapproval with BACTA, the trade body of fruit machine manufacturers and operators, the people who've been ripping us all off all these years. FairPlay has already contacted its own MPs, the Gaming Board and the Department of Culture. As yet we've had no response. We'll post news as it happens. |
