Arkansas arcade

Arkansas arcade game operators need to register and get a surety bond before they can do business in the state.

What’s a coin-operated amusement machine?

In the state of Arkansas, arcade games fall under the coin-operated amusement machine umbrella. Here are a few of the other games the definition includes:

Pinball machines
Claw and crane machines
Target or shooting gallery machines
Skeeball
Air hockey
Coin-operated billiards or pool

The definition explicitly excludes these coin-operated amusement machines:

Machine for playing poker, blackjack, or any variant of those games
Vending machines
Pay phones
Gumball machines
Parking meters
Washing machines and dryers

Getting registered and bonded

Arkansas arcade game operators register with the Department of Finance and Administration. Registration is required to ensure all game operators pay the required privilege taxes annually ($5 per machine per year), as well as their annual license fees:

$500 for one-three machines
$1,000 for four or more machines

To be eligible for licensure, the applicant must be at least 21 years old and a resident of Arkansas for at least one year. Follow the Department’s instructions and submit the following documents to get a permit:

Those forms register the arcade game operator as a taxpaying entity in the state of Arkansas and allow applicants to apply for the machine decals for their games. Each game needs a decal that displays the licensee’s license number, and those decals must be renewed annually.�Use form AMU-AR if you need more decals throughout the year. Renew your permit by July 1 each year.

Game operators using coin-operated machines exclusively at carnivals and fairs and operating less than three months per calendar year pay a smaller permit fee and do not need a surety bond�unless they exceed the three months their permit allows.

Ready to open an Arkansas arcade? Get your coin-operated amusement machine surety bond today from Single Source Insurance!�