§ Lord Pestonasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many fruit machines in the United Kingdom are sited in (a) public houses; (b) amusement arcades; (c) transport termini; and (d) premises licensed for hard gambling. [HL1145]
§ Lord Williams of MostynWe do not have figures in that form. However, last year the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA), the trade association for the amusement machine industry, undertook a study on gaming machines in conjunction with the Henley Centre. This suggested that in Great Britain at the end of 1996 there were around 75,000 "amusements-with-prizes" machines (maximum prize £10) in public houses; 91,000 in amusement arcades; and 13,000 in betting offices and casinos. Figures were not collected for transport termini but BACTA estimate that there are some 350 "amusement-with-prizes" machines in railway stations.