how old do you have to be to play a Quiz machine in a pub ?
Discussion
As the question says, I've been trying to find out about this but it seems to be a very grey area and is a 2 pronged question.
The first being the age limit for playing the machine ?
My son plays on one in his local snooker centre which you have to be a member for entry. There is no signage for age restrictions & the owner of the establishment says, as it's a Quiz machine, NOT a fruit machine, then youngsters can play on it.
The second prong to the question is that he went into a local pub with an older friend to get a coke on the way home, there was an identical machine in there which they put less than £1 in & managed to get the questions right up to £150. at which point the machine came up with a I.O.U £150.
Landlord does not want to pay the lads the money, but various witnesses say it was all done fair & square.
I am not happy that he went into the pub in the first place, which is a separate issue, but if they did win that amount of money, what comeback do I have on the landlord not paying out.
He says that the machine had an error & has been reset so there may not be record of it in the memory of the machine. (we have photograph of the winning page on the screen & four or five witness names & phone numbers.
My gut feeling is that he is too young to have been in there in the first place, even though he asked if they could come in, told the barmaid their age & they were served non alcoholic drinks.
Ages of the lads are 17 & nearly 15.
Should they put it down to "life experience" & forget it, or do they have a bonafide case for collecting the £££ ?
The first being the age limit for playing the machine ?
My son plays on one in his local snooker centre which you have to be a member for entry. There is no signage for age restrictions & the owner of the establishment says, as it's a Quiz machine, NOT a fruit machine, then youngsters can play on it.
The second prong to the question is that he went into a local pub with an older friend to get a coke on the way home, there was an identical machine in there which they put less than £1 in & managed to get the questions right up to £150. at which point the machine came up with a I.O.U £150.
Landlord does not want to pay the lads the money, but various witnesses say it was all done fair & square.
I am not happy that he went into the pub in the first place, which is a separate issue, but if they did win that amount of money, what comeback do I have on the landlord not paying out.
He says that the machine had an error & has been reset so there may not be record of it in the memory of the machine. (we have photograph of the winning page on the screen & four or five witness names & phone numbers.
My gut feeling is that he is too young to have been in there in the first place, even though he asked if they could come in, told the barmaid their age & they were served non alcoholic drinks.
Ages of the lads are 17 & nearly 15.
Should they put it down to "life experience" & forget it, or do they have a bonafide case for collecting the £££ ?
If they shouldn't have been in the pub the landlord should have booted them out before they started putting money in the quiz machine. I don't know how you can make him pay but I would definitely pursue it. Speak to the brewery maybe, sounds like a scam to me.
The I.O.U. should be all the proof you need.
The I.O.U. should be all the proof you need.
Edited by Baby Huey on Tuesday 10th February 22:17
I believe they still come under the umbrella of the same legislation as fruit machines etc.
Which means not only has your son broken the law by playing it, but the landlord has broken the law by allowing it to be played.
Local trading standards wouldn't be too happy if someone were to tip them off.
Do you really think he only popped in for a coke
Which means not only has your son broken the law by playing it, but the landlord has broken the law by allowing it to be played.
Local trading standards wouldn't be too happy if someone were to tip them off.
Do you really think he only popped in for a coke
The regulations state that quiz machines are regulated based on the cost per play.
50p or less per play and they're exempt from the gaming act.
That's going to be the important fact to establish before pursuing a claim.
ETA: At least that's my interpretation of the rather long-winded rule-book on these things. It has been a long time since I did my licensee course.
50p or less per play and they're exempt from the gaming act.
That's going to be the important fact to establish before pursuing a claim.
ETA: At least that's my interpretation of the rather long-winded rule-book on these things. It has been a long time since I did my licensee course.
Edited by Alfa_75_Steve on Tuesday 10th February 22:36
I don't know the answer 100% sorry, but I think the ones around here say over 18's only.
To answer another poster, they're not games of skill! They're controlled by a computer that wants your money, and they pay out a percentage much the same as a fruit machine, you can never win long term. If you're too clever it will ask questions like 'what day of the week was Gordon Brown's mother born on?'.
To the OP, have you seen the IOU for £150? I have never seen a quiz machine that pays that amount, absolutely no where near in fact. You would be doing very well to get a tenner out of the ones around here if you played them all night, and sometimes we do, so I talk from experience
To answer another poster, they're not games of skill! They're controlled by a computer that wants your money, and they pay out a percentage much the same as a fruit machine, you can never win long term. If you're too clever it will ask questions like 'what day of the week was Gordon Brown's mother born on?'.
To the OP, have you seen the IOU for £150? I have never seen a quiz machine that pays that amount, absolutely no where near in fact. You would be doing very well to get a tenner out of the ones around here if you played them all night, and sometimes we do, so I talk from experience
Monkey boy 1 said:
Alfa_75_Steve said:
Do you really think he only popped in for a coke
Yes, he isn't that silly to try & buy booze.
Yes, I'm sure he's different to every other 15 year old out there and wouldn't ever try to get served in a pub.
Back on topic - either way the landlord is in the wrong. Either he shouldn't have let the kids play the machines, or he should pay out.
The law is very clear on this. The machine is technically gambling so you have to be over 18 to play it. They should all have signs on them stating this. I had a fruit machine in my takeaway but I removed it when I got fed up trying to argue this point with 14 year olds.
He broke the law playing it, but more importantly the landlord and bar staff broke the law allowing him to play it.
If I was you I'd try going in with the IOU yourself and try talking to the landlord. He might be persuaded when you point out his licence could be at risk.
He broke the law playing it, but more importantly the landlord and bar staff broke the law allowing him to play it.
If I was you I'd try going in with the IOU yourself and try talking to the landlord. He might be persuaded when you point out his licence could be at risk.
Monkey boy 1 said:
Alfa_75_Steve said:
The regulations state that quiz machines are regulated based on the cost per play.
50p or less per play and they're exempt from the gaming act.
That's going to be the important fact to establish before pursuing a claim.
The games are 50p per go50p or less per play and they're exempt from the gaming act.
That's going to be the important fact to establish before pursuing a claim.
deeps said:
Monkey boy 1 said:
Alfa_75_Steve said:
The regulations state that quiz machines are regulated based on the cost per play.
50p or less per play and they're exempt from the gaming act.
That's going to be the important fact to establish before pursuing a claim.
The games are 50p per go50p or less per play and they're exempt from the gaming act.
That's going to be the important fact to establish before pursuing a claim.
deeps said:
To the OP, have you seen the IOU for £150? I have never seen a quiz machine that pays that amount, absolutely no where near in fact. You would be doing very well to get a tenner out of the ones around here if you played them all night, and sometimes we do, so I talk from experience
DrTre said:
Can people give me their interpretation of this please?
To me it reads skill games are exempt from the age restrictions.
EXEMPT MACHINES To me it reads skill games are exempt from the age restrictions.
* Skill games
A skill with prizes machine is one where a prize is won only by the player’s skill. For example, trivia game machines requiring the player to answer general knowledge questions to win cash prizes or racing/shooting games. Providing these machines give prizes according to the skill of the player, they will be exempt. If any element of chance is imported by the action of the machine it would be classed as a gaming machine.
Looks like it is exempt to me to.
MrV said:
DrTre said:
Can people give me their interpretation of this please?
To me it reads skill games are exempt from the age restrictions.
EXEMPT MACHINES To me it reads skill games are exempt from the age restrictions.
* Skill games
A skill with prizes machine is one where a prize is won only by the player’s skill. For example, trivia game machines requiring the player to answer general knowledge questions to win cash prizes or racing/shooting games. Providing these machines give prizes according to the skill of the player, they will be exempt. If any element of chance is imported by the action of the machine it would be classed as a gaming machine.
Looks like it is exempt to me to.
Monkey boy 1 said:
deeps said:
To the OP, have you seen the IOU for £150? I have never seen a quiz machine that pays that amount, absolutely no where near in fact. You would be doing very well to get a tenner out of the ones around here if you played them all night, and sometimes we do, so I talk from experience
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