Pub owners need to distinguish between customers attracted by quiz machines and those drawn in by fruit machines in order to boost their income, according to a leading UK gaming operator.
A report commissioned by Gamestec - Developing the Future for Fruit Machines & Quiz Machines in the UK - says fruit machines and quiz machines should not be viewed as a single market.
According to Harris, which conducted more than 4,000 interviews, although fruit and quiz machines appeal to similar audiences, they are not the same, and are played for different reasons.
Stuart Ross, Gamestec's group managing director, said: "It is important that pub operators understand the distinction between customers who use fruit machines and those that play quiz machines.While fruit machine and quiz machine players are typically male and single they use different machines for very different reasons."
The research also revealed the pub is by far the most popular place to play both fruit and quiz machines, with 77 per cent of users typically playing there.
The pub is, however, slightly more popular with quiz players, with 87 per cent of occasional players choosing the pub to play in.
Social and sports club and amusement arcades are more important venues for fruit machine players - 29 per cent of frequent fruit machine users will play at a club, for example, the research showed.
