While European importers of US-built amusement games are lamenting the 25 per cent import duty that has been introduced, not everyone is unhappy.
This particular cloud could have a silver lining for companies like Elaut, the Belgian maker of cranes, pushers and other devices including many ticket redemption games. The well-known company has interests on the other side of the Atlantic in the form of Benchmark, the noted maker of games with a factory in Florida.
The Elaut USA business is easily transported into Europe in the sense that the Belgian company’s factory at St Niklaas (pictured), near Antwerp, can be used to build the Benchmark games in Europe.
Company director Helga Verstraten told InterGame: “It is certainly true that this opens up opportunities for us. We are at the moment studying the possibilities that import duties and exchange rates have created. There is no doubt that we can take advantage from the situation.”
Meanwhile, the long-established distributors of US-made games in Europe are trying to work out how they can shave margins to take in some of the extra taxation. One told InterGame: “Coming on top of the downturn in sales created by the pandemic this year, the extra import duty is a huge burden for us.”
The coin-operated amusement machine business is one of a number of commercial sectors that has been identified by the European Union as an area for imposing extra taxes to bring pressure to bear on the US Government. The EU and US have been in a tit-for-tat battle on duties as part of their dispute over commercial aircraft subsidies. The EU believes that the US gives extra incentives and support for its Boeing company while the US believes the same for Europe’s Airbus.
