Anyone out there own an upright arcade game route?

[Mattiekrome]

Just wondering? I'm from a somewhat small town, and have seen a few places that I would like to put an upright arcade game. I was hoping to find out from someone "in the biz" about the legality of doing something like this. Do you have to be a certified "operator" to put an upright arcade game at one of the local hangouts? Can anyone just go up and talk to the owner of the place and say they will split the coinage 50/50 to let you put the game in their establishment? Hmmmm... Just wondering what others have experienced with this sort of thing, or how to get started in this type of "hobby" (assuming you dont have to spend lots of $ to get licensed, blah blah blah) Thanks! :)

[Imstarryeyed]

Good question..

Ok if you are going to put machines anywhere, make sure they are going to make money!! You see you need to get tags from your States Comptroller, County and often City.

For example here in Texas you need a Comptroller tag that is $60 if you buy it during Q1 of the year, $45 if you buy it by Q2, $30 for Q3 and $15 for Q4. The tag will expire Dec 31st of that year no matter when you buy it!

You also need to have a county tag and city tag on your machine.. Those tags are $15 dollars flat each no matter when you buy it, and they expire Dec 31st as well.

So do the math..

$60 + $15 + $15 = $90 in tax stickers just to turn it on..

You will need to pay this for each machine you have on route!!
You also have to pay a Registration Certificate Fee once a year to continue to run your machines.. here in Texas that fee is $150 annually.

In addition you usually have to have a general business license if you plan to have games on route or sell them.. if however you own a store this general biz license is not required if you plan to use the games only in your store and not put any on route.

One year fee of like $200 a year if you have 50 or less machines on route. That goes up to $500 if you have a lot of machines (200+)

If you plan to repair games then you will need to pay $50 for a repair license at least here in Texas..

Now add up all of those and you can run into serious money!

So moral of the story.. get games that are going to make money! Just turning on a game costs you money so make sure you can make it back.

If you got some games that are real money makers then it might be a good idea, its not a hard biz, you will save bundles if you can do your own repair of buttons, cabs and especially monitors!

I hope this helps you out a bit!

[shawnbo42]

I would check your local laws/regulations. Some states have all the licensing issues, some don't. Depends on where you are. I know of, and have seen people throw out a machine or two "under the radar"...in otherwords, just do it. Problem is, if there IS a licence you need, and someone comes around asking, well, you get the idea. The "Oops, I didn't know" PROBABLY would work the first time. The other thing is insurance, you put your machine out there, some moron drops it on himself, sues you for it. For one machine (depending on what it is, and where it's going) it's most likely not cost-effective. At least, not "by the numbers".......

[Arcade Antics]

Complete waste of your time.

[Peale]

...Texas...Texas...Texas...

Yikes...makes me glad I live in Vermont. No license anymore, or fees.

Mass, OTOH, does.

[stargate]

It really depends. I mean, if you have a buddy who owns a bar or pizza joint or whatever, you can probably come to an agreement and just throw a game in there and split the profits. Technically, it is most likely illegal, but as stated, you could always claim ignorance if anyone complained, which would be highly doubtful in the first place. I mean, who the hell is going to complain about a video game? Could happen, I suppose, but I would think it would be uncommon.

However, also as noted above, this is probably a waste of time. One game is not going to bring much in terms of profits and the more it gets played, the more wear and tear on the machine and the more service it will require. I just don't see you making any money on this venture, especially if you have to split the profits.

[nate1749]

I'd start with putting vending machines and putting them in police stations (obviously pay your dues on this one). My friend does that and he says those are always his biggest money makers, since a police station is essentially open 24/7 and the foot traffic is extremely interested.

I'd say if you can make money with vending (I presume the machines depreciate much slower than video games), then move on to experimenting with a few games.

Nate

[Mattiekrome]

I'd start with putting vending machines and putting them in police stations (obviously pay your dues on this one). My friend does that and he says those are always his biggest money makers, since a police station is essentially open 24/7 and the foot traffic is extremely interested.

I'd say if you can make money with vending (I presume the machines depreciate much slower than video games), then move on to experimenting with a few games.

Nate

Are vendors looked at in the same light as upright arcade machines are? Like have to pay all those county + city fees and all that mess?

Thanks for the input so far!

[nate1749]

I don't think vending machines are (but there is probably a different tax), but go into your local police station and see what they have and find out. They might send you to city hall or the circuit clerk to get the answers, which honestly you'll have to do anyways. Plus if you make friends with the cops, I'm sure they'll look the other way on your gaming violations (if you put some stand-ups in local places).

Nate