Quoted from b1buwg97

How much do they charge? is it per location or per machine?

I think its 200 for the license and then an additional 300 per machine:  (you also have to pay for pins in storage if you want them registered)

http://www.racj.gouv.qc.ca/fil.....7010_ang__04_01_.pdf

Quoted from Ricker

I was at TOPEC just this afternoon and Dallas is doing fine. Lots of pins in the store and if the price was a bit better, I would be all over some of them.

Weird I've lived in Oakville for almost 20 yrs and have never been in the place ,, and I used to live right around the corner from the old place near third line

Quoted from Meat Popsicle

I think its 200 for the license and then an additional 300 per machine:  (you also have to pay for pins in storage if you want them registered)

http://www.racj.gouv.qc.ca/fil.....7010_ang__04_01_.pdf

Yup, every Catergory B machine (pinball or video game) is 300 per year per machine, plus your yearly operator's permit. The worst part of the Regie's limitations is that redemption games are totally prohibitted to operate when dispensing tickets, let alone for exchange against prizes. (Loto-Québec really doesn't want anything at all to rival their Casinos) I strongly believe that allowing redemption games & family entertainment centers with prize counters to operate in Québec would be a good business move for the province. Places like Dave & Buster's, Playdium and especially smaller FEC's in suburban areas would do wonders for what little leeway the Québec goverment has left of the amusement industry.

I presume the permit thing is supposed to cover taxes most likely undeclared from earnings since it is a 100% cash business? It would never pay to put out machines that are mainly "filler" spots on site. Either they earn or they go away.

So, you likely will never see 8+ machines in one location.

Quoted from wbradley

I presume the permit thing is supposed to cover taxes most likely undeclared from earnings since it is a 100% cash business? It would never pay to put out machines that are mainly "filler" spots on site. Either they earn or they go away.

So, you likely will never see 8+ machines in one location.

The whole thing started in the early 80's when the government saw that arcade owners were collecting quarters like crazy and raking in huge amounts of cash. And as most criminals are in government, they wanted a piece of the pie. So they declared that all amusement machines were to be regulated by the government under the Liquor and Lottery board. Soon after, arcades started dropping like flies. within 5 years, 80% of arcades closed their doors. Within ten years, only a handful were left.

And since government officials are as dumb as a doorknob, they didn't know or care that they singlehandedly killed off the market. Believe it or not, to this day, the government STILL believes that arcades are cesspools for drugs and the mob. I went to the Gaming ministry 3 years ago in order to get information on doing EXACTLY like GJD is doing today. They didn't care. The only difference was that my operator yearly fee was lower, but the licence per machine per year stayed.

And yes... it is OK to have those stupid crane machines on which the operators stuff the toys so hard to make it impossible to get anything, but redemption games that give tickets to get a stuffed toy is a no-no.

So basically, instead of reducing their licence fees, thus ensuring them of a revenue, they leave the fees high and get little to no revenue. when I said this to the idiot from the ministry's office, his answer was:

"On s'en fout, notre source de revenu est assuré avec les loteries-vidéos"

Translation: we don't care, our revenue is assured with the video lottery machines.

I am sorry to say, but arcades are pretty much dead in Quebec, and will NEVER come back.

"cesspools for drugs and the mob" or they want a cut of an underground economy cash business?

Quoted from websherpa

"cesspools for drugs and the mob" or they want a cut of an underground economy cash business?

both probably .. the arcades in downtown TO back in the day had very easy access to the drug trade (don't know if they were mob owned) .. pool halls same thing back then (don't know about today)

I cannot understand how any operator in the province of Quebec can make any money with the province licensing agreement. Even if you take $6 a week to cover a $300 license yearly out of the cash box for a video game I'm not convinced that game with make that in a year especially if it's not the latest greatest.

Then don't forget the power supply will probably fail at the rate of $50-$75 or the monitor will go bad and then the location will probably want at least 50% of the net revenue. C'mon it doesn't make sense.

I just sent back some permits back for a partial credit and they told me it will take up to 8 weeks to get my refund. Talk about playing with my money.

The new wave is Digital Jukeboxes and Pool tables that's the way to go if you want to survive.

My .02 cents

I think Toronto pinball exchange still owns the machines, because I called Dallas (1 month ago +/-) about the twilight Zone and she said when it comes off location it is already sold.  So that leads me to think that they are still involved.  Dallas is very nice, but as any retail outlet, they are expensive for the seasoned hobbiest.

Quoted from TGlover

I think Toronto pinball exchange still owns the machines, because I called Dallas (1 month ago +/-) about the twilight Zone and she said when it comes off location it is already sold.  So that leads me to think that they are still involved.  Dallas is very nice, but as any retail outlet, they are expensive for the seasoned hobbiest.

So Toronto Pinball Exchange is a different entity than Toronto Coin, the operator (if they still exist). Am I correct in assuming this ?

I'm pretty sure the Toronto Pinball Exchange and Toronto Coin are the same company, run by Dallas and her family out of Oakville, i'm pretty sure, i did work for them on the weekends when i was in college,

Really nice family

Eric

Quoted from jamie23

I cannot understand how any operator in the province of Quebec can make any money with the province licensing agreement. Even if you take $6 a week to cover a $300 license yearly out of the cash box for a video game I'm not convinced that game with make that in a year especially if it's not the latest greatest.

Then don't forget the power supply will probably fail at the rate of $50-$75 or the monitor will go bad and then the location will probably want at least 50% of the net revenue. C'mon it doesn't make sense.

I just sent back some permits back for a partial credit and they told me it will take up to 8 weeks to get my refund. Talk about playing with my money.

The new wave is Digital Jukeboxes and Pool tables that's the way to go if you want to survive.

My .02 cents

I would guess the $300 was based on trying to guess a percentage of the take roughly equal to taxes.   10% tax would mean a $3,000/year/pinball revenue.   Maybe that is what they made in the 80's and 90's, but its not accurate today.