Pub and venue amusement machine route

Players put money into the machines. Venues benefit from a share of the takings, or sometimes pay a rental fee.

A revenue split with each venue, agreed in a written placement agreement. Extra income can come from selling machines on after a few years or from servicing other people's machines.

• Basic electrical and mechanical repair
• Negotiating with landlords and venue managers
• Route planning and record keeping
• Reliable and good at follow-up

• Cash-payout fruit machines and other gambling machines generally need Gambling Commission and local authority permissions, so check before buying any machine that pays out
• Public liability and product liability insurance, plus insurance for machines and cash in transit
• Electrical safety: check PAT testing and safety requirements for machines in public places
• Pubs may only be allowed a limited number of machines without extra permission, so check with the local council
• Machines can sit unused if a venue is poor, so ask for a trial period or the right to move them

Startup costs are typically around £4,000 to £20,000, depending on how many machines you buy or lease and what types they are. Asking venues for a trial period or the right to move machines can reduce the risk.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around £800 to £4,000, depending on the number and type of machines and how busy your venues are. These are revenue estimates, before any venue share, repairs and travel costs.

Check Gambling Commission and local authority permissions before buying any cash-payout or gambling machine. Also check electrical safety and PAT testing, any limit on machines per pub with the local council, and public liability, product and cash-in-transit insurance.