The UK government has put on hold controversial plans to relax rules around high-stakes slot machines in adult gaming centres (AGCs), in a move that signals growing caution over the industry’s impact on vulnerable players.
The decision marks an unexpected setback for the rapidly expanding AGC sector, which had anticipated a shift in regulation that would allow more lucrative machines in high street venues. Industry figures had hoped the government would scrap or amend the so-called “80/20 rule”, which limits the proportion of higher-stakes B3 machines in venues to just 20 per cent, with the remaining 80 per cent reserved for lower-stakes category C or D terminals.
B3 machines permit bets of up to £2 and offer jackpots of up to £500, while the lower-stakes machines are capped at £1 and £100 respectively. Operators have long argued that this restriction hampers commercial viability, with less popular machines occupying valuable floorspace and driving up operational costs.
The proposed regulatory overhaul had been set out in the government’s gambling white paper in 2023, which took a tougher stance on online betting while appearing more supportive of land-based establishments such as AGCs and bingo halls. Last May, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) floated the possibility of easing the ratio to 50/50—or scrapping the rule entirely.
However, in correspondence seen by The Guardian, officials at DCMS confirmed the department would not be proceeding with the change this year, stating that they acknowledged “concerns about the strength of protections for vulnerable people in the adult gaming centre sector”.
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