Fruit/Poker Machines...Business or Hobby...

JohnThomas09

Hey Guys.
I was just wondering if anyone knows much about Fruit/Poker Machines.Is it a good business to get into and how is it regulated?

I have heard that all machines must pay out at least 70% of takings ie.a machine takes in 1000euro must pay out 700euro.

Does most owners pay a premium to the Pubs/Takeaways that their machines are placed in?

Any help would be appreciated.

lenny1020

Hi.
I have had some sort of a machine in my Bar for the past 20 years .Be it poker or one armed bandit or various other types.Not once has the machine owner came and not taken a profit.
The way it works is 50/50 or in my case I was able to negotiate 60/40.So each time he calls I get 60% of the take.Pay out for these machines is set at 70%.This fluctuates down as low as 30%.Best leave them at about 50%.Licence is a bit tricky.Really up to the local Guards .You as the machine owners will be licenced but the site owner will not if he is a Publican.If the guards take the machine which is very rare you get to take it back.Usually when there is somebody putting too much money in there is a problem and the machine comes out .
The secret is have it on the way to the toilet and get the small gamblers to use it .never a problem then .
Location Location Location .

FusionNet

I know a guy doing this on a big scale. As prvious poster said its 50/50 on profits and with some machines its 50/50 on losses which can be huge on Roulette.. I know from a client of mine that there takings are way down on the machines since the downturn as disposable income has reduced.. I would imagine it can be an expensive business to start.

JohnThomas09

lenny1020 wrote: »

The way it works is 50/50 or in my case I was able to negotiate 60/40.So each time he calls I get 60% of the take.

What would the average machine take in?I would love to know is it a profitable business??

antoinolachtnai

It's all about location. Some machines do phenomenal money. Different machines perform differently too.

If you think you can set a machine to pay back only 70 percent, forget it. You'd need to be over 90 percent or people just won't play it. Roulette is considerably higher than 90 percent. (It's a little more complex than that, because winnings are often played again without being cashed out, so you hear reports of 75 percent payouts compared to money put into the machine.

The regulatory situation is pretty unclear. There could also be planning issues if you have more than 1 or 2 machines.

sm.org

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

It's all about location. Some machines do phenomenal money. Different machines perform differently too.

If you think you can set a machine to pay back only 70 percent, forget it. You'd need to be over 90 percent or people just won't play it. Roulette is considerably higher than 90 percent. (It's a little more complex than that, because winnings are often played again without being cashed out, so you hear reports of 75 percent payouts compared to money put into the machine.

The regulatory situation is pretty unclear. There could also be planning issues if you have more than 1 or 2 machines.

+1, this business is all about volume. Most people I know who make money from it set their machines at 96% payout or as you say people will go elsewhere.

Might be a bit different for one off machines in a pub or chipper but if your planning on opening an automated casino and there is competition in the area then you'll have to set them at the max.

amen

you can really set the payout levels?

on games like roulette why would you bother ? the house always wins over time( check the statistics on this although if you are clever and cards are not shuffled you can car count roulette but very hard).

And if it is american roulette with 0 and 00 the odds are even better for the house.

As for poker again I belive the stats are generall in house favour
same for slot machines. A three wheel machine 8 images each reel there is about 1 in 80,000 chance of winning jackpot

shoutman

amen wrote: »

you can really set the payout levels?

on games like roulette why would you bother ? the house always wins over time( check the statistics on this although if you are clever and cards are not shuffled you can car count roulette but very hard).

And if it is american roulette with 0 and 00 the odds are even better for the house.

As for poker again I belive the stats are generall in house favour
same for slot machines. A three wheel machine 8 images each reel there is about 1 in 80,000 chance of winning jackpot

Roulette? I presume you are talking about blackjack here? Also there is no blackjack where the cards are not shuffled..
As for the rest of your post it really has no bearing on this thread what so ever.
The guy is asking whether or not it would be profitable to put these electronic gaming machines into places, not about whether or not he has a chance of winning when using them.

antoinolachtnai

There is only one manufacturer supplying machines with old-style reels now. That machine is electronic though. The randomness comes from an electronic RNG, not from the mechanical workings.

The randomness of a roulette wheel comes from the mechanical workings.

You will have weeks when you pay out more than you take in. This is especially the case with roulette.

lenny1020

If you go the casino route your talking huge start up costs .One of the richest men in Ireland started as a school teacher and in the evenings went to bars and convinced them to take in one armed bandits.From there he moved to fast food.Still has the machines though.The law is loose on this one .Its there to be exploited.