--- title: O.C.G.A. § 50-27-87.1. Unfair methods of competition; unfair and deceptive acts. collection: code id: 50-27-87.1 cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 50-27-87.1 (2025) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/50-27-87.1 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/50-27-87.1.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/50-27-87.1/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t50-ch13-40-(v38a)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=e98b81c_0#page=144 date: 2025 status: active corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68 license: CC0-1.0 publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/50-27.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/50-27-87.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/50-27-88.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md version: the only printed version in_force: true current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly heading_path: STATE GOVERNMENT / LOTTERY FOR EDUCATION / BONA FIDE COIN OPERATED AMUSEMENT MACHINES / GENERAL PROVISIONS --- # O.C.G.A. § 50-27-87.1. Unfair methods of competition; unfair and deceptive acts. (a) The following acts or practices are deemed unfair methods of competition and unfair and deceptive acts under this article: (1) Until the corporation certifies that the Class B accounting terminal authorized by Code Section 50-27-101 is implemented, a master licensee, location owner, or location operator retaining more than 50 percent of the net monthly proceeds for the operation of a Class B machine; (2) A master licensee or owner entering into an agreement with a manufacturer or distributor: (A) That grants the owner or master licensee exclusive rights to own, maintain, place, or lease a type, model, or brand of bona fide coin operated amusement machine in this state; or (B) For the lease of a bona fide coin operated amusement machine, its parts, or software or hardware; (3) A location owner or location operator asking, demanding, or accepting anything of value, including but not limited to a loan or financing arrangement, gift, procurement fee, lease payments, revenue sharing, or payment of license fees or permit fees from a manufacturer, distributor, or master licensee, as an incentive, inducement, or any other consideration to locate bona fide coin operated amusement machines in that establishment. A location owner that violates this subsection shall have all of the location owner’s state business licenses revoked for a period of one to five years per incident. The location owner also shall be fined up to $50,000.00 per incident and required to repay any incentive fees or other payments received from the operator; and (4) A manufacturer, distributor, operator, master licensee, or individual providing anything of value, including but not limited to a loan or financing arrangement, gift, procurement fee, lease payments, revenue sharing, or payment of license fees or permit fees to a location owner or location operator, as an incentive, inducement, or any other consideration to locate bona fide coin operated amusement machines in that establishment. A manufacturer, distributor, operator, master licensee, or individual who violates this subsection shall have all of his or her state business licenses revoked for a period of one to five years per incident. The individual, manufacturer, distributor, owner, or master licensee also shall be fined up to $50,000.00 per incident. (b) The provision by the master licensee of non-fixtures on or within a building in which there is a licensed location at which bona fide coin operated amusement machines are located to a location owner or location operator with whom the master licensee has a contract for the placement of Class B machines shall not be deemed to be an unfair method of competition or unfair or deceptive act under this Code section; provided, however, that such non-fixtures shall: (1) Be limited to branded posters and signs, digital video signage, rugs, seating, removable partition walls, and wall coverings, unless additional non-fixtures are authorized by the corporation by the adoption of rules and regulations; (2) Be exclusively for the facilitation and promotion of the play of Class B machines and the redemption of approved gift cards; (3) Remain the property of the master licensee; and (4) Be removed not later than when the Class B machines of the master licensee are removed from the location. ## History Code 1981, § 50-27-87.1, enacted by Ga. L. 2013, p. 37, § 1-1/HB 487; Ga. L. 2015, p. 39, § 8/SB 190; Ga. L. 2017, p. 774, § 50/HB 323; Ga. L. 2024, p. 739, § 10/HB 353, effective May 6, 2024. ## Editor's Notes See Editor’s notes at the beginning of this article as to the contingency related to a court finding of unconstitutionality of this Code section. ## Amendments The 2024 amendment, effective May 6, 2024, designated the existing provisions of this Code section as subsection (a) and added subsection (b).