ABSTRACT
Before 1960 gaming machines – colloquially known as fruit machines – were almost entirely confined to amusement arcades and a limited range of social clubs. The 1960 Betting and Gaming Act made possible their introduction on a far wider scale – so that within a few years of the Act a far greater number and variety of premises had installed them, generally by renting them from a vending company for a share of the profits. Along with club bingo, gaming machines have probably been the outlet for the main extensions of gambling since the Act.
