Eighty-five illegally operated gaming machines have been seized from amusement arcades by UK HM Revenue and Customs officers following a series of inspections in south-west England and South Wales.
Excise officers visited six amusement arcades in Gloucestershire, Somerset and South Wales on May 24, seizing unlicensed gaming machines containing £24,000 in cash from four commercial premises: Blackwood - 36 machines seized from one arcade; Cardiff - 18 machines seized from one arcade; Gloucester - 17 machines seized from one arcade; and Taunton - 14 machines seized from one arcade.
HM Revenue and Customs spokesman Bob Gaiger said: "We are investigating the non-payment of at least £180,000 in Amusement Machine Licence Duty over a three-year period. Gaming machine operators are legally required to pay the excise duty on each machine to purchase the appropriate licence. If they don’t, then our officers step in. We only seize machines as the last resort, when all other efforts have been exhausted."
Over the following three days investigators emptied the machines’ cash boxes, counting over £24,000 in coins and notes, which has been forfeited.
Investigations are ongoing.
