Have you got a problem with a pub or arcade?
To add your view please send an email to cj.smedley@ntlworld.com

If you've been barred for playing machines legally for what you to believe is an unfair reason you can now slag off that pub, club or arcade on the internet! Send me an account of what has happened to you using the email above and if approved I will publish it here on this page for the world to see.

HALL OF SHAME (updated 27-11-07)

I went to Cornwall to stay with Shaun (a member of my club) to see the 1999 solar eclipse. While down there for a few days we thought we would go to Newquay to do a bit of gambling. I went with Shaun into an arcade which had a row of £15 jackpot machines. I saw an Italian Job which is one of my favourite machines. I went over and put in about 10 quid to see how it was playing. It was fairly quiet in the arcade so put in another 10 to listen if the coins were going to fall down into the cashbox. None did so I figured it wasn't ready to pay and I would collect what I could. I managed to get an invincibal board to get 15 of my 20 back. I then tried a fiver in a FRENZY but it wasnt ready for anything so we left. Shaun and I split up cos he was meeting his misses so I wandered off to NEW SPACE CITY. I walked in and soon found the £15 jackpot machines. Nice arcade I thought. I still had 20 coins on me from the last arcade so proceeded to an Italian Job which happened to be the first machine I came too. Within a couple of pound I had a 15 jp from a yellow feature board and I thought the machine might be streaking (it turns out it wasn't as it is a nasty rechip), I collected this then stuck about 10 quid back in. The next feature was rubbish and I realised I wasn't going to make any money. While playing off the credits I got a tap on the shoulder from a greasy young security type bloke who asked me to leave. I asked 'What on earth for?'. He replied 'We have been contacted by another arcade and been warned of someone matching your description.' I asked 'Warned about what? I have only been to one other arcade and I lost a tenner!'. He simply replied 'I'm sorry you have to leave. I don't have a reason, it is just the rules.' Well I walked out of there completely stunned. I mean I have been into hundreds of pubs in my life and NEVER been barred, not even when I was using some of the classic emptiers of the past couple of years! I walk into a poxy arcade in NEWQUAY and get barred for losing! Anyway the arcade is NEW SPACE CITY in NEWQUAY so don't ever go there! I was so incensed at the barring that I decided to create this web page so other players can tell their tales. I mean getting barred for winning isn't right anyway, but getting barred for losing is just taking the piss. Someone has to win. The manufacturers put all these wonderful features into machines for us to work out, then the arcade owners bar us when we do! What a joke. So below is a form, if you have a tale of an unfair barring, be it a pub, club or arcade then tell me all about it and I may put it on this page. For the benefit of the players involved I will not use any surnames on this page.

From Christine (An ex Nobles employee)
I used to work for nobles amusements AKA Luxury Leisure. I can sure tell you a few tales about the company and its staff. I think it is unfair that innocent people get kicked out for winning what area managers see as too much money but they put a fortune in and are lucky to break even and as for that snotty bitch from london "ms £4.89p an hour", get a life. It is the nobles bros and they are millionaires out of peoples suffering as they are addicted to gambling. But there are some that do it for fun. I would advise people not to buy anything from this company ie, goods (tax dodge), food etc. The security is shoddy you would think for a shop with a large amount in it they would have proper security, the photo images that were on that memo are crap to make out anyhow. And no you are not barred from all nobles they say that to scare you. Why? I have no idea. Also they break laws of human rights by advertising for staff floor ops. For example they then get alot of replys from males as well as females. The males get an application form, knowing that he has no hope in hell because they dont hire guys (equal ops) to work on the floor.

From Maggie:
I work in the gaming industry, to hold ancillary machines these places need a gaming license which has to be applied for through the local magistrates. If there are any real greivances about the way you have been treated by one of these proprietors you can write to the magistrates in the area, these sort of issues are taken into consideration when licences are being renewed.

HEADLINE: ALL NOBLES ARCADES HAVE BANNED ARRAN!
Arran says: For no given reason I now find myself barred from all Nobles amusements in the UK. Saturday, I was playing 8ukp Roller Coaster in CORAL ISLAND, I was 13ukp /down/ at the time. Three gentlemen approached my machine, then asked me to finish my credits and leave. Naturally I challenged them for a reason, but all they would say is that ' the mangement did not want me to play', and some crap about 'knowledge'; except to add that I was not welcome in "any" Nobles establishment, particulary Funland. Now I have been playing in Funland and Coral Island for many years now, I have occasionally been busted for doing the 'emptyable' machines, but never barred from both at the same time. During this time I've noticed that several professional players ply their trade in Coral Island, several of them locals. It amazes me how these players are never challenged, even though the better ones are netting in excess of £1000 per week. Yet I (who go there relatively infrequently) get barred for 'knowing too much'. If I was a cynic, I might believe that I was being barred on the request of the 'other' professionals, who appear to be 'well in' with the management. I might even go as far as to suggest that there may be some sort of trade off going on. Maybe I am a cynic. The same sort of situation is most certainly in evidence in other Noble's establishments, where the 'sharks' are making several hundred pounds per week unchallenged, whilst anybody with a degree of professionalism is getting barred. In all cases the 'sharks' are very well in with the management. Any suggestion that I may be alluding to something sinister going on will of course be strenuously denied, however it certainly makes me think.

Anyway, with Nobles holding a virtual monopoly of decent arcades, and trying to increase their position of strength all of the time. I now find myself barred from all the local arcades. Unless I fancy getting my knee caps threatened in the shady places.

Here's the rub: I am not a criminal, I always play machines honestly, but will naturally apply all my knowledge and experience in order to maximize my chances of winning. Who wouldn't. I have never employed illegal, or improper methods to win from machines. I am always civil and courteous to the staff (even when getting barred). So why is it that I am no longer allowed to spend an enjoyable afteroon or evening in my local arcade, often winning, sometimes losing. Nobles amusements have too much of a grip of the amusements arcade segment in my opinion, this now directly affects me personally. I will now make it my crusade to do something about this.

Here's a few questions, if anybody could help to answer these I would be very grateful. 1. What is the legal status of a ban, i.e. what /could/ happen to me if I ignore it. 2. What is the process that Nobles must go through to get a gaming license? 3. Is it possible to challenge an application for (or renewal of) such license. 4. If answer to 3 is yes. How? and what happens then. Arran H.

HEADLINE: NOBLES DO IT AGAIN! (NOBLES IN GRIMSBY)
I invited Jus down to Grimsby today. Nice chap, a proper player, no keys or other suspect activites. We went into Nobles arcade (Victoria street; there are two in Grimsby). The staff came up to me and asked me who he was and I replied "Justin". Also they seemed anxious to know where he was from. They eventually asked him to leave. I remained in the arcade and asked "what's he done?". In fact he had done nothing at all wrong but I was very disturbed to find that they had a computer image printout of Jus. Not from inside an arcade but by his car, most likely taken by a zoom lens camera. I asked to see the picture, stapled to the back was an internal memo. The memo asked to look out for strangers - in particular Justin. The photo included banned for I quote "manipulating machines by pressing the buttons". Outside I spoke to Jus who informed that he had never been there before ever! This could easily be you or I, banned before you ever go in. The law likens an arcade's right to refusal to that of a public house at least you can appeal against a pub ban. Thanks for listening, I had to get this off my chest. Simon H

BUTLINS POOR SHOW, from Patrick Wakeham
A couple of months ago I went to butlins and went in the Crack a Jack arcades. I won the jackpot out of the machine Fruit Explosion, and repeated it 4 times. The man that worked there said " your not allowed to take that much money. You'll have to give me £10." I refused and in the end he called security and asked them to remove me from the arcades, and I was banned for the last 3 days of my holiday

QUICK EXIT from QUICK SILVER, from Julian Hardy
About 2 years ago i went into Quicksilver in Peckham High Street, south east London where i found a Big Bucks, my favorite machine from days gone by. I pumped this machine with £30 and was still losing when this jumped up manageress asked me to leave. WHAT! - I said 'What have i done?'. I don't have to give you a reason she said. I protested long and hard but she had convinced herself that i was up to something just because my brain works a lot faster than hers. Maybe she wanted me out so she could play and win my dosh. I walked out fuming knocking a bowl of sugar on the floor as i left. It was the first and last time i ever went there. BASTARDS!!!

Coeley's by Smiddy
I got barred from Coeleys arcade at the funfair. the little twerp serving on the cash desk came out cos i was winning and said go higher and i said no so he delibretly pressed the lo button so i lost. So i then said go away back in your box. He said no this is my arcade and boxes. so i had to leave cos he was a pest and his daddy barred me. That sucks man!

From Dan A.
When going to Brighton I go to an arcade called Regency Arcade just off the seafront. When I go there which is about 3/4 times a year I play Wipeout, Funny Money and a few other 25 machines. On my last visit all the machines I played paid out a few jackpots so I ended up making about 150 a time. The first day I went into the Regency Arcade the woman behind the counter changed up my 1 coins into notes without a problem. The second time she looked at her boss who said "I can only change up 50, if I had the notes I would change 500, but people tend to use the cash machines for notes". The third time I went into the Regency Arcade I went to one of my favourite machines and was told by a short guy in there "you cant play machines in this part of the arcade", I asked why? He replied cause my boss told me to say that to you. I then said "I want a reason?" so the lady behind the counter said "its cause you know cheats about the machines". I said "thats crap, I dont know any cheats, im just naturally lucky" she then said "don't believe you" I said "look i'm rich enough and make enough money anyway". I then said "happy new year" to the whole arcade and left. I feel really angry that I got told I couldn't play certain machines, isn't the whole idea of going to an arcade to win money? I feel I was treated like shit.