Before Apply For GA COAM Location License

The Georgia Lottery has released a notice on some things to think about before applying for GA COAM Location License for the upcoming Licensing Period in Georgia. Checking over this list of 6 Important tips before applying for the GA COAM location license, will be crucial for making sure that the GA Lottery can properly handle your information during the licensing process and more importantly, so you don’t incur any delays during the licensing process. Legacy Amusement Inc wants to make sure that all locations are made aware of this information from the GA Lottery COAM Connection newsletter. Below is the information about how to make sure you are well prepared prior to applying for a license:

If you are one of the 9,000 licensees that apply each year for a COAM license, this article is a “must read”.  The staff of the GLC/COAM Division works very hard to process all applications for licenses in a timely manner. Here is the practical side of the license application process, with revealing insights into simple things you can do to avoid delay.

• • Payment of Taxes or other State Financial Obligations – Before applying for a COAM license verify you have no outstanding tax liabilities.  Contact the Department of Revenue (DOR) for the State of Georgia at (404)417-4445 to obtain a status on any outstanding tax liabilities.

  • Apply for the Correct License Type – Licensees need to make sure they are applying for the correct type of license (Master, Location, Manufacturer or Distributor) and the correct class of license (Class A and/or Class B).  Location licensees who are in possession of both Class A and Class B machines in the same business location, or anticipate having both Class A and Class B machines in the same business location anytime during the licensing year , must apply for a Class B license.

  • Requests for Information– Respond to information requests from the Retailer Contracts Administration (RCA) Department promptly.  Failure to respond to any information request may result in the denial of your COAM application

  • Registration Information – Licensees should ensure they have all registration information available prior to logging into the licensing application including your www.gacoam.com username and password, State Tax Identification (STI) number, method of payment information, and any identification or citizenship information that may be required to complete your application.

  • Updating Officers/Owners/Shareholders – Applicants must ensure ALL officer/owner/shareholder information has been updated with the DOR prior to submitting a COAM application.  A “Personal Information” page must be completed for EACH officer/owner/shareholder when submitting a COAM application.

  • Providing True and Correct Information on Applications – Applicants are required to provide the GLC with true and correct information on their COAM application.  Failure to do so may result in the denial of your COAM application.  Specific examples of failure to provide true and correct information are: – Licensees input their business location address as their home address. – Licensees input the email address for their bookkeeper or accountant rather than that of the owner of record.

   

  If you encounter problems with the COAM licensing website (www.gacoam.com) or have any questions, please contact the GLC COAM Helpline at 1(800) 746-8546 and select Option 6 and then 2

  If you have any questions about GA COAM procedures, or if you are interested in working with Legacy amusement, you can contact us at info@legacyamusement.com, call us at 404-547-9004

How to Apply for a COAM Location License

To have a Class B Coin Operated Skill and Redemption Game, you only need three things:

1. A location with an electrical outlet and a few square feet of space.
2. A Class B location license from the Georgia Lottery Corporation
3. A Georgia Master Licensee, Legacy Amusement Inc., to supply your games free of charge. (Class B License #000015081)

To learn more about how to apply for a Class B coin operated skill redemption games, fill out our simple form and we will contact you as soon as possible. We will walk you through the licensing and installation process.

What documentation will be needed to apply for Class B COAM license?

• • Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN)*
  • State Taxpayer Identification Number (STI) *
  • Alcohol License (if applicable)
  • GA Lottery Retailer Number (if applicable)
  • Driver’s License and Social Security Number (to verify lawful presence in US) *
  • Credit/Debit Card to pay for licenses *

(*) Mandatory documentation for application process What is the process to get a Class B Coin Operated Amusement Machine (COAM)?

• Set-up account and apply for Class B Location License
• Select “Register” and fill out the information to create account.
• Once you have created account, check your email for “COAM License User Activation” and click the link to activate account and enter confirmation code.
• Sign in to your GA Lottery COAM Portal account to apply or to renew a previous license following the prompts.
  • $25 per Class A games per year
  • $125 per Class B machine per year
  • All fields must be completed or the application will not be accepted
  • You will need a copy of front and back of driver’s license to download as attachment
  • *You can take a picture with your smart phone and send to email and use as attachment
  • You will also need your Federal Employer ID (FEIN) & State Taxpayer ID. Your Alcohol License or GA Lottery retailer number need to be accessible if you want to supply that information to the GA Lottery, although it is not necessary.
  • You will need Legacy Amusement Inc Class B License Number for application:
  • Legacy Amusement Inc Class B Master License ________
• Open a separate bank account for your Georgia Lottery Corporation transactions, “In Trust for The Georgia Lottery Corporation”.
  • • Example: XYZ, Inc.D/B/A RCA Food Mart
  In Trust for the Georgia Lottery Corporation
• Submit the COAM Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Authorization Form by fax to 404-215-8997. *To complete this form, you will need your Location License Number which will be emailed to you or found on the final page of your application. 
• After you have submitted your application, you may be subject to a Location License Site Inspection by the GA Lottery Corporation to make sure that the location is compliant with Georgia COAM regulations. You must be able to provide the GA Lottery inspector access to the location, so the location owner must have full access to the location for the scheduled inspection time. (i.e., you need to either own the location, or have begun renting/leasing the location prior to application)
• 8. Sign-in to your GA Lottery COAM Portal weekly (if not more often) to check on the progress of your application. This will help to expedite the process, as the GA Lottery may need more information as they process the application.
• 9. As your application is being processed by the GA Lottery, you may be charged a one-time, refundable Financial Security Deposit (FSD) based on your credit history, the businesses credit history, the type of business, etc., and this fee can be between $2,500 to $7,500. The FSD is refundable when the Class B COAMs are removed from the location.
• 10. The application approval usually takes between 4-6 weeks, but can be delayed if issues arise with the application, although that is uncommon. Continue to check the GA Lottery COAM Portal, to answer any questions the GA Lottery may have. If there are not any issues you should receive your license within that time frame.
• 11. Once you receive the license (by mail or by picking it up from the GA Lottery office), call and schedule an installation date with Legacy Amusement.

To access all documents visit: GA Lottery Class B COAM Documents Applying for COAM License Video:  

If you are interested in a scene by scene breakdown of the GA Lottery COAM Licensing video, which will make getting the answers to your specific questions easier, or a version of the video in Hindi and Spanish click here

Legacy Amusement maintains our Coin Operated Skill Redemption Games, and insures each earns the highest profit possible. If one of our games is under performing, we have the ability to swap it with a different game that better suits your location. We know which games earn the most, and have state of the art games from all popular Coin Operated Skill Redemption Game manufacturers. When you choose Legacy Amusement Inc as your Georgia COAM Master Licensee, you are not just gaining an amusement game supplier, you are gaining a business partner with a vested interest in seeing your business succeed.

After Location License Application Submission

So you have submitted your GA COAM Location License application, what’s next? Legacy Amusement Inc has laid out the steps following GA COAM Location License application submission here, so you won’t have any surprises.

• • Submit the COAM Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Authorization Form by fax to 404-547-9004. *To complete this form, you will need your Location License Number which will be emailed to you or found on the final page of your application. 

• • After you have submitted your application, you may be subject to a Location License Site Inspection by the GA Lottery Corporation to make sure that the location is compliant with Georgia COAM regulations. You must be able to provide the GA Lottery inspector access to the location, so the location owner must have full access to the location for the scheduled inspection time. (i.e., you need to either own the location, or have begun renting/leasing the location prior to application).

• • Sign-in to your GA Lottery COAM Portal weekly  (if not more often)  to check on the progress of your application. This will help to expedite the process, as the GA Lottery may need more information as they process the application.

• • As your application is being processed by the GA Lottery, you may be charged a one-time, refundable Financial Security Deposit (FSD)  based on your credit history, the businesses credit history, the type of business, etc., and this fee can be between$2,500 to $7,500. The FSD is refundable when the Class B COAMs are removed from the location.

• • The application approval usually takes between 4-6 weeks, but can be delayed if issues arise with the application, although that is uncommon. If you continue to check the GA Lottery COAM Portal, to answer any questions the GA Lottery may have you should receive your license within that time frame.

• • Once you receive the license (by mail or by picking it up from the GA Lottery office), call and schedule an installation date with Legacy Amusement Inc.

If you have any questions about the steps following GA COAM application submission, or if you are interested in working with Legacy Amusement, you can contact us at info@legacyamusement.com, call us at 404-547-9004

Georgia Lottery Class B Coin Operated Amusement Machine Law

Simply put, in Georgia, a Class B COAM or Coin Operated Amusement Machine is a skill-based game that rewards a successful player with a ticket that can be redeemed for gas, merchandise, Georgia Lottery tickets, or additional game plays.

This definition was set when Governor Deal signed HB 487 into law on April 10, 2013. You can click here to read the most up to date version of HB487, the Georgia Coin Operated Amusement Machines Law,  in its entirety.

The law put the Georgia Lottery Corporation in charge of all COAM regulations and compliance. This means that Coin Operated Amusement Machines no longer exist in a gray area; they are totally within the boundaries of the law.

The state of Georgia defines a Class B Coin Operated Amusement Machine, or COAM, as “a bona fide coin-operated amusement machine that allows a successful player to accrue points on the machine and carry over points won on one play to a subsequent play or plays and rewards a successful player in compliance with Georgia law and does not reward a successful player with any item prohibited as a reward by Georgia law”.

At Legacy amusement, we pride ourselves on our knowledge of the law and our ability to keep our Locations operating within it. We are dedicated to providing our Locations with the opportunity to increase their profits with virtually zero risk.

GA COAM 9 Month Rule

In an attempt to keep all of our bar, restaurant, and amusement centers informed of updates and news in the gaming and amusement industry we want to let everyone know about the GA COAM 9 Month Rule. Below you can read the rule that was part of the GA COAM July-September 2016 Newsletter:

Amendments to the COAM law as of May 3, 2016, established a “9 month rule” related to replacement of Class B COAMs by a master licensee in a new owner’s location if:

• • COAMs were within the location within the last 9 months; and

  • the new location owner was an applicant for a COAM license on or after May 3, 2016. Pursuant to OCGA 50-27-87 (b)(3)(C), as an applicant for a new location license where COAMs have been placed at any time in the immediately preceding 9 months, the applicant shall either:

    • not place COAMs in the location for 9 months from the date of the approval of the new owner’s COAM license; or formally accept an assignment of the written agreement between the master licensee and the preceding location owner. If the 9 month rule applies to a location, the only exception is if the master licensee who placed COAMs within the last 9 months refuses to sign the assignment agreement.

If a location licensee wishes to submit a no dispute certification (available at www.gacoam.com) to certify that is has no dispute with the master licensee associated with the location and wishes to replace COAMs with those of another master licensee, GLC will reach out to the master licensee associated with the location to inquire as to whether it has a dispute with the new owner’s request to change master licensees. If the master licensee associated with the location certifies that it has no dispute with the new owner’s request to change master licensees, GLC may approve a change of master for the location (based on a change of master form that is also available at gacoam.com). However, if the master licensee fails to certify that it has no dispute with the change of master request, the location owner must wait 9 months from the date of approval of its COAM location license to replace COAMs within the location with those of another master licensee. Examples are as follows:

Example 1. A new location owner was approved for a COAM license on April 1, 2016 and is seeking to replace COAMs that were removed in February of 2016. The 9 month rule does not apply because the location owner was an applicant for a COAM license before May 3, 2016. The location licensee must still submit a certification form to GLC but if the master licensee associated with the location fails to timely respond to GLC regarding its certification or fails to timely commence arbitration if there was a dispute, GLC may approve a change of master license.

Example 2. A new location owner purchases a store in June of 2016. COAMs were removed in June of 2015. The location owner applies for a COAM license in July of 2016, the 9 month rule does not apply as COAMs were not placed within the location within the last 9 months.

Example 3. A location owner purchases a store on August 1, 2016. COAMs were previously removed from the store on February 1, 2016. The location owner applies for a COAM license and is approved for the license on August 31, 2016. The location owner wishes to replace the COAMs with those of another master licensee. The location owner must now wait 9 months from the date of the approval of its license (August 31, 2016) without COAMs if it does not wish to accept assignment of the written agreement between the previous location licensee and the previous master licensee. If the new location owner waited until after November 1, 2016 to apply for a COAM license, the 9 month rule may not have applied and GLC may have approved the change of master request.

Example 4. A location owner has been a COAM licensee since 2014 and ownership has not changed. The 9 month rule does not apply. If the location licensee wishes to remove the COAMs or change master licensees, the location licensee must submit a certification form to GLC but if the master licensee associated with the location fails to timely respond to GLC regarding its certification or fails to timely commence arbitration if there was a dispute, GLC may approve a change of master licensee.

These explanations and examples are only for informational purposes and are not intended as legal advice. Specific facts and circumstances may change results and determinations.

If you have any questions about the Georgia Lottery COAM 9 Month Rule or if you are interested in working with Legacy amusement, you can contact us at info@legacyamusement.com, call us at 404-547-9004.

GA COAM Gross Receipts Rule (50 Percent Rule)

One of Legacy amusement’s priorities as a business is to make sure that each location license holder is able to stay in compliance with all Georgia Lottery Corporation GA COAM regulations. The GA Lottery Corporation has released information reminding all locations of  the “GA COAM Calculation Worksheet Gross Receipts 50 Percent Rule.” Below you will find all the information provided by the GA Lottery Corporation to help you stay in compliance with the GA COAM 50 Percent Rule:

In order to ensure Class B Location License Holders (LLHs) are in compliance with O.C.G.A. 50-27-84 (3)(b)(1), the Georgia Lottery Corporation – COAM Division has prepared a calculation worksheet which will assist LLHs determine whether they are in compliance with the “Gross Retail Receipts 50% Rule”. O.C.G.A. 50-27-84 (3)(b)(1) states:

(3) “Gross retail receipts” means the total revenue derived by a business at any one business location from the sale of goods and services and the commission earned at any one business location on the sale of goods and services but shall not include revenue from the sale of goods or services for which the business will receive only a commission. The sale of goods or services for which the business will receive only a commission shall not be include the sale of any item which the business has purchased for resale. Revenue shall not include sale of goods and services at wholesale.

The worksheet will be utilized by the Compliance Inspectors and auditors during a detailed inspection of a Class B LLH to determine whether it is in compliance with the “Gross Retailer Receipts 50 Percent Rule”. Inspectors and auditors may examine the LLHs financial documents from an extended period of time (usually more than one month) to determine whether the LLH is in compliance. The worksheet is protected and the user can only input data in the orange-highlighted sections and the calculation result will be displayed in the yellow-highlighted section. Any result of more than 50 percent of gross retail receipts from COAMs is a violation of the law.

Click on link below to access worksheet: GA Lottery-50 Percent Gross Retail Receipts Calculation

Monthly Reporting for Location License Holders:

In order to remain compliant Georgia Class B COAM Location Licences holders MUST REPORT monthly sales receipts of the business (NOT INCLUDING GAMES MACHINES) to the Georgia Lottery Corporation. Here’s how to complete this:

• Go to the GA COAM website: www.gacoam.com
• Click the “Log In” button (top right corner) & enter your USER NAME and PASSWORD
• Choose the “Monthly Sales” tab & select “Monthly Sales Entry”
• Use drop down arrow to choose your business name (Step 1) & your license number (Step 2)
• Choose the COAM Period (or month) for which you are reporting (Step 3)
• Enter gross retail (business) receipts for the month (not including game machines) (Step 4)
• Scroll down & click the box next to the “I agree” statement and click “Confirm & Submit”

If you have any questions about the law on GA COAM, regulations are, or if you are interested in working with Legacy Amusement, you can contact us at info@legacyamusement.com, call us at 404-547-9004.

GA Lottery COAM Location License Renewal Instructions

Legacy amusement want to make things easier for you and your business as you renew your Class A or B COAM Location License through the GA Lottery, so below we have included step by step GA Lottery COAM Location License Renewal Instructions. Let us know if you have any questions.

What documentation will be needed to renew your COAM location license?

• Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN)
• State Taxpayer Identification Number (STI)
• Alcohol License (if applicable)
• GA Lottery Retailer Number (if applicable)
• Driver’s License and Social Security Number
• Credit/Debit Card to pay for licenses

*Have these documents available in case the Lottery asks for updated information or copies of any of these documents.

• Go to GACOAM.COM
• Select LOG-IN in the top right corner
• Sign-in with your USER NAME and PASSWORD
• Once logged into your account, select LICENSES at the top of the page
• From the drop down menu, select your business name/ license type (CLASS A or B)
• Once you select, the new screen will give you a prompt to RENEW license (you may need to scroll down)
• Make sure to complete all the boxes/question even the ones that say OPTIONAL, or it will not allow you to move on to the next screen.

If you need help with the GA Lottery COAM Location License Renewal process or to apply for a new Location License with a qualified Master License Holder, please contact Legacy Amusement Inc at 404-547-9004 and we will have one of our trained customer service representatives walk you through the process.

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