Tax on quiz machines

exactly · Post by **exactly** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:21 am

It's going to be announced in the budget that any quiz machine which pays out £8 or more in prizes will be liable to the same duty as fruit machInes under the new system which replaces duty for individual machines. Currently quiz machines can be put anywhere without a licence. Final nail in the coffin?

http://www.beerandpub.com/newsList_deta ... newsId=478

michaelmartin_526 · Post by **michaelmartin_526** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:52 am

The SWP industry is dead.

The last HRMC regulations, the decline in the pub trade and the very poor quality of games and payouts has killed it.

Mostly the hardware is not as powerful as a 10 year old PC so games aren't even as good as what is on most peoples mobile phones.

If they put a tax on quiz machines it will be the end of this type of skill gaming in pubs - or all games will have a maximum payout of £7.

Winner.

Nil Satis · Post by **Nil Satis** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 11:18 am

michaelmartin_526 wrote:
If they put a tax on quiz machines it will be the end of this type of skill gaming in pubs - or all games will have a maximum payout of £7.

Given that the 'flagship' game of the second half of 2011 released by the undisputed market leaders (Premier Darts Quiz on the Paragons) has to all intents and purposes a top prize of around 60p, that wouldn't necessarily be such a bad thing. As you say, it's rubbish like that game which will do as much as anything to end the SWP industry for good.

michaelmartin_526 · Post by **michaelmartin_526** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 7:44 am

All the companies involved (fatspanner, paragon, games media and gamestec) are no longer interested in SWP - moving there focus to digital AWP. So I doubt there will be too many new SWPs released this year.

Plus anything released would have to be absolutely stunning to perform well in a market that is so dead.

But maybe this was all waiting to happen after the end of itbox, they had the whole market but couldn't seem to make any money out of it.

rogerthymes · Post by **rogerthymes** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 9:38 am

So will that mean that when the machine doesn't pay out the full amount we can claim it back in a tax rebate?

exactly · Post by **exactly** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 4:30 pm

I cant really see how a shabby awp conversion is going to make any more money than the shabby swp from which it was converted. Plus there is so much competition in the fruit machine market and pub goers still prefer to play analogues. They should just let quiz machines and their manufacturers die peacefully and move on.

wires74 · Post by **wires74** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 5:13 pm

Seems you have a bit of a bee in your bonnet about swps exactly

exactly · Post by **exactly** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 5:36 pm

I used to like playing them and still do if I can find one with interesting games i.e Gamesnet. The rest are pretty boring and unfair.

wires74 · Post by **wires74** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 5:46 pm

What for you equates to an interesting game?