Small gaming halls and slot machines

1) Market picture: what formats are

In the absence of licensed "casinos," small venues fill the entertainment niche:

FEC (Family Entertainment Center) - family arcades with cranes, redemption games, pinballs, sometimes with low-risk AWPs; focus on leisure and tourism.
AGC (Adult Gaming Center) - "adult" halls with video slots and electronic roulettes; entry is strictly 18 +.
Private members" clubs - sites closed by membership, where in addition to tables there can be slots/EGM; access by questionnaire and ID.
Seasonal arcades at resorts - work during the tourist season, often with a family profile.

2) Legal logic (before general reform)

Historically, Ireland has regulated betting and lotteries more clearly than gaming. Small halls and vending machines existed through local permissive practices and narrow legal windows (arcades/entertainment machines, low prizes, charity raffles). Key principles:

Age 18 + for "adult" halls and any money games.
Local permissions/permits for small game activities and lotteries (depending on format and scale).
Limited advertising and no "casino branding" in the public space for halls with money games.

💡 Important: there was no formally "full-fledged" national license for B2C casinos; therefore, some of the halls operate as arcades (entertainment), and some as private clubs or "adult" centers with limited positioning.

3) Operational requirements in practice

Even with local permissions, bona fide operators build "mini-compliance":

Age verification/ID, clear entry rules, visible 18 + plates.
Transparent rules of the game: descriptions of mechanics, betting/prize limits, odds/probabilities (if applicable).
Security and control: CCTV, cash transaction control, payment accounting, daily reconciliations.
Responsible play: hours of operation, timeouts/breaks, informational posters, the possibility of self-exclusion at the object level.
Service and environment: FEC/AGC zoning, lack of youth-appeal in the "adult" zone, moderate visual effects, lack of aggressive donkoving in the promo.

4) Slot and electronic machines: technology and processes

Content certification (RNG/RTP) and PP integrity control - through recognized laboratories and/or vendor requirements.

CMS/TITO (central monitoring, ticket-in ticket-out) to account for turnover and payments without unnecessary cache risk.

Electronic roulettes/ETG: individual event logs, session control, technical maintenance regulations.

Antifraud: limits on sessions and issuance, prohibition of obvious "bypasses" (charging banknotes with credit cards, circular transactions, etc.).

5) Payments and finance

Credit cards in a gaming environment are taboo; debit/bank decisions and "cash on account" are allowed.

Instant outputs in small halls are not always appropriate; standard - transparent cashout rules, lump sum limits and a clear dispute SLA.

Accounting and reporting: division of revenue by type of device, logging of downtime/repairs, back-office reconciliations.

6) Advertising and display cases

Without aggressive youth-appeal: showcases without "children's" images for zones 18 +, moderate lighting, no intrusive "jackpot promises."

The tone of communications is informative, without pressure, with mandatory RG messages.

Digital marketing - only with age targeting and geography restriction; for private clubs - communication mainly within the member base.

7) What changes the new reform (GRAI)

Starting the national GRAI regulator aligns the field for all verticals:

Single license and registers for online/offline, including for small halls and suppliers.
National Register of Self-Exclusion with Offline Integration Perspective (Front Desk Check).
Uniform payment and protection standards: ban on credit cards, anti-abuse advertising mechanics, clear rules for bonuses/prizes.
Enforcement: prescriptions, blocking unlicensed forms, sanctions for violations (age, advertising, payments).

Total: "gray zones" for machine guns and private halls will disappear, and bona fide operators will switch to a transparent licensing model.

8) Economy of small halls

The location decides: the city center/tourist areas (Dublin, Cork, seaside resorts) give flow, but require stricter control of noise, queues and shop windows.

Content mix: slots + ETG + non-heavy arcades → above LTV due to diversification.

Seasonality: coastal arcades - peak months in summer; in off-season - local stocks without "aggressive" incentives.

Personnel: personnel training in RG/conflictology, basic technical support of machine guns, quick escalation of incidents.

9) Small Hall Launch/Upgrade Checklist

1. Legal outline: Check applicable local permits before entering GRAI mode; prepare a package for a single license.

2. Age control: scan ID, failure log, zone 18 + physically separated from FEC.

3. Technical stack: CMS/TITO, certified content, incident/payment logs, regular audits.

4. RG-UX: session timers, soft reminders, visible limits, easy access to self-exclusion.

5. Payments: no credit cards; Clear cashout and limit rules cash discipline.

6. Communications: showcases without youth-appeal, honest descriptions of promotions/prizes, mandatory RG messages.

7. Neighborhood: noise protection, hours of operation, coordination with the local community (especially in tourist/residential neighborhoods).

Bottom line: Small game rooms are a "working" Irish model between family arcades and closed clubs. They are based on simple principles: 18 +, transparent rules, secure payments, basic compliance and respect for the community around. With the launch of GRAI, the sector will move from a mixed licensing regime to a single, understandable licensing - with great requirements for the protection of players and the quality of operational processes, but also with great public confidence.