Frequently Asked Questions

Amusement arcades are found all over the world and may also be refered to as 'gaming arcade' or 'video arcade' or simply 'amusements' or 'arcade'. They are entertainment venues with the purpose of offering a range of different arcade machines for players and patrons to enjoy. Usually geared toward families, promoting fun activities with bright lights, unique sounds and an exciting atmosphere that gets people hooked on visiting. 

In the UK amusement arcades also include adult gaming sections, which include fruit machines and other casino style gaming machines. This is not the case in every country and this means that the UK can offer unique gaming experiences to visitors and enthusiasts who visit one of our hundreds of seaside resorts. In comparison the US (which has many amusement arcades) has different laws on adult gaming on a state-by-state basic. 

The industry is currently experiencing a worlwide resurgence with advancements in technology fueling demand for new innovative games and machines. Leading the popularity with the newer generations are claw machines and the huge range of different skill and aiming style gamings offering ticket redemption incentives to players. 

Another aspect of amusement arcades is arcade prize bingo, which is a type of mini bingo played in the UK. Whilst it had been on the decline, there is now a country-wide resurgence in bingo and arcade bingo with many chains popping up in towns and cities and coastal resorts utilising the latest digital bingo systems from companies such as Wexel who are based in the UK. 

AmusementArcades.com is the home of arcade in the UK and we have extensive content on amusement arcades, casino gaming and bingo fun.  

'Fruit machine' is more of a UK / European term and comes from the fruit symbols found on the reels of classic machines. Fruit machines are usually mechanical and have some aspect of skill-based game play, which usually includes physical Nudge / Hold buttons that affect the outcome of play. 

'Slot machine' is more of a US term and comes from the action of slotting a coin into the coin slot of  a (slot) machine that relies mostly on luck. Today, in the US and most other countries digital display cabinets and terminals have largely replaced mechanical reel slot machines of the past and whilst they are still popular and prevalent, they do not continue to be created in mass in the same way as the UK (fruit machine) counterpart is.

For this reason, we try to refer to fruit machines only as UK mechanical machines and slot machines for all modern casino gaming / digital machines across the site. 

Across the decades there have been many other names and industry naming conventions such as Gamblers, One Arm Bandits, Casino Machines, Quiz Machines, AWPs, Cat C etc, though we will try to keep naming simple so it does not get confusing. 

Ticket arcade games are any amusement arcade games that pay out wins in the form of tickets. These tickets can then be redeemed for prizes and this is known in the industry as 'ticket redemption' or just 'redemption' machines.

Tickets (or tokens) are usually exchanged at a prize window, kiosk or shop within the entertainment venue. Other terms used for this category of games machines include 'tickets for prizes', 'tickets make prizes', 'tickets mean prizes', 'tickets = prizes' and ticket prize redemption. Any venue with this type of signage will reward players for gaining tickets. 

In the UK, Amusement Arcades are usually located at seaside resorts in holiday destinations and can be found across all coastlines of the country, with many in Northern Ireland and Ireland too. Many can also be found in towns and cities in venues such as bowling alleys, cinema complexes and shopping malls.

AmusementArcades.com is best viewed using a modern browser. Browsers like Chrome will prompt the user to 'allow Geolocation', we recommend allowing this as it enables our cutting edge maps system to activate, which will then allow users to explore entertainment venues based on their current location. 

So if you want to plan a day trip at the weekend and want to find amusement arcades and entertainment venues within driving distance, then we have you covered. 

There are several different ways to use the maps. Visitors can search via the Amusement Arcades, Bingo or Casino Gaming categories or search all three via the homepage. The 'Seaside Resorts' page will provide users with a list of popular resorts and allow searchers to see arcades and entertainment venues in those specific areas. 

The main differences are that arcade prize bingo is usually a smaller format within or joined onto an arcade venue and they exclusively offer items and physical goods as prizes. These are usually found in amusement arcades within seaside resorts or caravan/holiday parks. 

Bingo Halls tend to be much larger establishments and offer cash prizes. These are usually found in towns or cities and include large chains such as Mecca, Merkur and Buzz Bingo.

Our primary aim is to raise awareness for the fatastic range of independent entertainment venues that can be found across the UK. These types of family owned businesses aren't always in a position to have large marketing budgets to compete with larger chains and this is part of why we do not prioritise global chains or corporations over independent establishements. 

If you want to add your venue see below.

If you have an independent amusement arcade, bingo or casino gaming venue then the answer is usually YES. The venue may not already be featured simply because we have not got round to adding it yet as there are thousands of entertainment venues across the UK and Ireland.

The process is currently FREE though we shall request information and photos from business owners. Please contact us at info (at) amusementarcades.com and we will happy add your venue. 

NO. AmusementArcades.com primary objective is to raise awareness (via independent info, articles, news and reviews) of amusement arcades across the UK. There are aspects of gambling tied into some of the entertainment venues and arcade games that we feature on this site and though we do include this in our content, we provide any means of gambling on this website. 

Any links to other websites that promote gambling happen off-site and we do not have any responsbility or control over other websites. We may recieve affiliate commisions for links to other websites for a wide range of incentives (which may include gambling). If visitors choose to follow these links then we actively encourage responsible gaming and promote the approach and strategies listed here.

We are British seaside resort champions that love family fun, fish and chips and sunny beach days above all else.  

There has been a recent resurgence and explosion of interest in Amusement Arcades worldwide. With Covid acting as the igniting catalyst, families are now looking for fun entertainment (away from home) that provides an 'experience' that goes above and beyond simply watching TV or playing games consoles. This, alongside the cost of living crisis means that people are also choosing to holiday more locally and explore and discover exciting new places within their home countries instead of taking expensive trips abroad.

At the Millenium, amusement arcades had been on a slow and steady decline in the UK since the heights were reached in the late eighties and early nineties. Today, the Generation X and Millenials that enjoyed British seaside holidays with their parents are now the parents themselves and remember the fun and great memories they shared from trips away with the family. Paying it forward, families are happy to discover all sorts of new arcade games and fun that can be had with the advent of the latest technology that is fueling a worldwide resurgence being spearheaded by new manufacturing and engineering techniques coming out of China, South Korea and Japan.