Here is what we pay.
This industry does not publish its splits. We do — every category, every deduction, with the arithmetic worked through. Compare it against anything you have been quoted, with or without ever talking to us.
Why a split is treated as a secret
In most of this industry the percentage is treated as a negotiation to be won. The operator learns what you know, guesses what you will accept, and quotes accordingly. Two venues on the same street, with the same traffic and the same equipment, routinely end up on materially different terms — not because the placements differ, but because the conversations did.
We think that is a bad way to run a long relationship. A split you got by negotiating well is a split you will re-examine the moment you hear what someone else got. A split you saw published before you called is one you can simply agree with.
This is not a claim that everyone else is dishonest
The industry contains good operators and bad ones, like every industry. Plenty of operators who do not publish their numbers pay their locations properly and service their equipment well. Publishing is a choice about how we would rather do business, not an accusation about how everyone else does theirs.
The honest caveat
The structures below are real and they are what we work from. They are not a fixed price list.
Splits move slightly depending on category and local factors — the size of the placement, how much build-out each side funds, the length of term, the service intensity a site demands, the equipment mix, and the local tax rate.
What does not move is that you see the structure before you negotiate, and the arithmetic after.
By category
Each category works differently, because the cost base is different. An ATM earns on transaction volume. A crane carries the cost of the prizes inside it. A jukebox carries a music licensing fee that nothing else does.
ATMs
We place and own the machine, fill it with cash, service it and handle all maintenance. The location provides one hardwired internet connection.
| Monthly volume | To the location |
|---|---|
| First 100 paid transactions each month | No revenue share — this covers operating cost |
| Every paid transaction above 100 | $1.00 per paid transaction |
A paid transaction means a transaction where the guest actually withdraws cash and pays the atm fee. failed attempts, balance inquiries and declined transactions do not count. Defining that up front is the point — a flat dollar figure per paid transaction is easier to verify than a "share of the surcharge".
Payouts: Quarterly, with monthly statements included, for standalone or slower ATM locations. Monthly where the ATM sits alongside other General Vending equipment and payments are already being issued.
Jukeboxes
Base split is 50/50, applied to what remains after direct costs come off the top. Direct costs means costs specific to operating that machine — not labor, not depreciation, not overhead.
The method. Use tax off gross, then music licensing at 28% of the original gross, then card and mobile processing, then an even split of what remains. The percentages are fixed; the tax rate that produces the post-tax figure is local.
Worked example — Florida state rate, county with no discretionary surtax
| Step | Amount | Running total |
|---|---|---|
| Gross revenue | $100.00 | |
| Less inclusive use tax — divide by 1.04 | −$3.85 | $96.15 |
| Less Touch Tunes licensing at 28% of gross | −$28.00 | $68.15 |
| Less card and mobile processing | −$3.00 | $65.15 |
| Split 50/50 | Location $32.58 · General Vending $32.58 |
The same calculation — County carrying a 1.5% discretionary surtax
| Step | Amount | Running total |
|---|---|---|
| Gross revenue | $100.00 | |
| Less inclusive use tax — divide by 1.055 | −$5.21 | $94.79 |
| Less Touch Tunes licensing at 28% of gross | −$28.00 | $66.79 |
| Less card and mobile processing | −$3.00 | $63.79 |
| Split 50/50 | Location $31.89 · General Vending $31.89 |
Because the tax rate is local, there is no single fixed percentage of gross. Across Florida counties the location keeps approximately 32–33% of gross, depending on local tax. The method is what governs.
Every revenue line is counted
Digital, online, credit card and app revenue are all accounted for and paid to the location. Many operators do not disclose these lines at all.
On the licensing fee: the agreement is written against gross and is indifferent to state and local tax, which varies everywhere. so the 28% is calculated on the original gross, not on the post-tax figure — and unlike the tax, it does not change by county. More on jukebox and multi-zone audio →
Tournament and online games
Golden Tee, online darts and similar connected games. Same base structure as jukeboxes, with two additional direct costs.
| Deduction | Why |
|---|---|
| Tournament entry fees — 100% to winners | Tournament entry fees are paid out 100% to winners. Florida is a non-gaming state, so entry fees cannot contribute to either General Vending's revenue or the location's — doing so would constitute gambling. They come off the top entirely. |
| Online licensing / network fee | Online licensing and network connection fee, paid to the game's online network. Separate from music licensing, and off the top. |
| Inclusive use tax | As every category. See what comes off first. |
After all direct costs: 50/50 split.
Core amusement
Pool tables, video games, basketball, boxing machines, pinball. The bread-and-butter category and the simplest structure on this page.
| What is measured | Split | Deductions |
|---|---|---|
| Gross play | 50/50 | Inclusive use tax off the top, plus any direct local licensing fee. |
Where a city requires an annual sticker per machine — say $30 — the location owner obtains it and brings us the receipt, and we reimburse the full $30 off the top. Neither party takes a cut of that $30.
No other deductions. No prize cost, no licensing fee, no processing fees on cash-play machines.
Cranes and merchandise machines
The method. Use tax comes off gross first. The remainder then divides three ways, as flat percentages of the post-tax figure.
| Share | Percentage of post-tax revenue | Who it goes to |
|---|---|---|
| Location revenue share | 30% | The location |
| Prize cost recovery | 40% | General Vending — cost recovery, not revenue |
| General Vending revenue share | 30% | General Vending |
This is the same 50/50 as every other category
Once prize cost is accounted for, this is the same 50/50 split as every other category. General Vending takes 30% and the location takes 30% — an even division of net operating revenue. The 40% is a real external cost, not margin.
Worked example — Florida state rate, county with no discretionary surtax
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross revenue | $100.00 |
| Less inclusive use tax — divide by 1.04 | $96.15 |
| Location revenue share — 30% of $96.15 | $28.85 |
| Prize cost recovery — 40% of $96.15 | $38.46 |
| General Vending revenue share — 30% of $96.15 | $28.85 |
The same calculation — County carrying a 1.5% discretionary surtax
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross revenue | $100.00 |
| Less inclusive use tax — divide by 1.055 | $94.79 |
| Location revenue share — 30% of $94.79 | $28.44 |
| Prize cost recovery — 40% of $94.79 | $37.91 |
| General Vending revenue share — 30% of $94.79 | $28.44 |
Because the tax rate is local, there is no single fixed percentage of gross. Across Florida counties the location's share works out at approximately 28–29% of gross, depending on local tax — but the method above is what governs, and it is what your statement will reconcile against.
About that 40%
The machines are set to be winnable. Claw strength is set strong and prize payout is set at a winnable rate, because if guests learn they cannot win they stop playing immediately. Long-term revenue depends on guests believing winning is possible.
Laundry
| What is measured | To the location |
|---|---|
| Gross revenue, after use tax | 35% |
| Laundry vending products Detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets — priced separately from the machines. |
5–10% of gross, depending on price point and product margin |
The split differs from amusement because the service burden is materially higher — motors, drums, bearings, water connections and regular mechanical maintenance.
Staffed attraction / anchor model
Used when we build and staff a full game room as an on-property attraction — redemption counter, prize wall, party hosting, full-time staff. The structure changes entirely. There is no machine-by-machine breakdown.
| What is measured | To the property | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of gross | 25–30% | Functions more like a brick-and-mortar retail tenancy, with General Vending as the tenant. There is no machine-by-machine breakdown. Applies where property scale justifies the staffing investment — roughly 400–800+ rooms, or equivalent guest volume. |
What comes off the top, and what does not
A percentage means nothing until you know what it is a percentage of. This is where most disputes in this industry actually start.
Inclusive use tax (Florida)
Florida applies this as a tax embedded in the price rather than added on top. It is the first step in every category, and the rate is local — the state rate is 6%, but a county discretionary surtax raises it. The method never changes; the divisor does.
Divide gross by the inclusive use tax divisor for that county.
| County | Total rate | Inclusive rate | Divisor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida state rate, county with no discretionary surtax | 6% | 4% | 1.04 |
| County carrying a 1.5% discretionary surtax | 7.5% | 5.5% | 1.055 |
Deducted before the split
- Inclusive use tax — every category.
- Music licensing, 28% of gross — jukebox only, calculated on the original gross.
- Card and mobile processing, $3 per $100 — where the machine takes card or app payment.
- Tournament entry fees — paid out in full to winners, never retained by either side.
- Online network fees — connected games only.
- Local machine licensing — reimbursed at face value, with neither side taking a cut.
Crane prize cost is not in this list. It is not a deduction taken before a split — it is one of three shares of the post-tax figure. See how that works.
Not deducted — these are ours
- Equipment cost, delivery and installation
- Repairs, parts and call-outs
- ATM cash — we fund the float, not you
- Card readers and payment hardware
- Collections and cash handling
- Equipment refresh and title rotation
- Labor, depreciation and overhead
- Reporting and reconciliation
What you are entitled to see
You are a party to the revenue stream, not the recipient of a payment. The numbers underneath it are as much yours as ours, and you should not have to justify asking for them.
- Overall revenue for your location, any period.
- Revenue by month, so you can see seasonality rather than guess at it.
- Revenue by machine, so an underperforming placement is visible and can be moved or replaced.
No portal, no login, no support ticket. There is a form, and a person answers it.
What to look at on a statement
If you already have an operator, your paperwork almost certainly calls your payment a commission. Read it on those terms, because that is the word it uses. Four things are worth checking:
-
What is the percentage a percentage of?
Gross play, or net of deductions? If net, which deductions, and are they itemized anywhere you can actually see them?
-
Are the digital lines being counted?
Card, app, online and mobile play are real revenue on modern equipment. If your statement only shows a cash figure, ask where the rest went.
-
Who pays for repairs and prize stock?
If either is coming off the top, your effective commission is lower than the headline percentage on your agreement.
-
What happens when you ask for the raw numbers?
This one tells you the most. Ask, and see whether you get the data, a delay, or a reason why it is not available.
And if an operator will not show you their split
It is worth asking why. There may well be a reasonable answer. But you are being asked to agree to a number you cannot see, in a relationship that will run for years, and comparing that against what you have been quoted elsewhere is a fair thing to want to do.
Ours is on this page. Compare it against whatever you are holding.
Partner, not vendor
Tell us about your location. If we can make it work we'll show you the numbers, and if we can't we'll say so. Either way you get a straight answer.