# Vending machine location revenue share by venue type: data from 87 listings

> Every open listing in one vending marketplace, put in one table. The share a venue asks follows what kind of venue it is, not how busy it is.

- Canonical URL: https://vendingmachineslocations.com/vending-location-data-revenue-share/
- Publication: Dwell Time (https://vendingmachineslocations.com/)
- By: Dwell Time Data Desk
- Edited by: Max Zulsky, Editor, Dwell Time (https://vendingmachineslocations.com/authors/max-zulsky/)
- Published: 2026-10-05 (updated 2026-10-08)

Across the 81 open listings that set a share in one vending location marketplace on October 5, 2026, venues take 30% to 50% of net sales, median 40%. Recreation venues ask 40% in 54 of 69 cases; retail, food and travel venues ask 50% in 11 of 12. Busier venues ask only slightly more.

**By the numbers**

| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Open listings, snapshot of October 5, 2026 | 87 in 29 states, 26 venue types |
| Host agreements signed | May 29–September 3, 2026 (44 in July) |
| Listings with a venue-reported visitor count | 69; median 50,000 a year, middle half 32,000–100,000 |
| Listings with a venue share | 81; median 40% of net sales, range 30–50% |
| Share basis | Net sales: sales minus a fixed $1.80 cost of goods per unit |
| Listings at exactly 40% | 55 of 81 (67.9%) |
| Rank correlation, visitors vs share | 0.36 (n = 67); 0.23 within recreation venues (n = 60) |
| Data | [The dataset page: CSV, field guide and license (87 rows, 19 columns)](https://vendingmachineslocations.com/data/) |

Source: open listings on [PinPoint Vending's marketplace](https://pinpoint-vending.com/marketplace) on October 5, 2026. Visitor counts are venue-reported.

## What revenue share do vending locations take?

Vending locations in this marketplace take between 30% and 50% of net sales, and 40% is the answer most of the time: 55 of the 81 listings that set a share sit exactly there. Six listings have not yet recorded a figure; they say "Set first", and the operator sees the number before agreeing to it.

| Venue share of net sales | Listings | Share of listings with a figure |
|---:|---:|---:|
| 30% | 11 | 13.6% |
| 35% | 2 | 2.5% |
| 40% | 55 | 67.9% |
| 45% | 1 | 1.2% |
| 50% | 12 | 14.8% |
| Set first (no figure yet) | 6 | — |
| **All listings** | **87** | **n = 81 with a figure** |

The company that runs the marketplace describes the typical venue share as 30–40% after cost of goods; in this snapshot, 68 of 81 listings (84.0%) fall inside that band and 13 (16.0%) sit above it.

Visitor counts are skewed by a few large venues: the mean is 87,954 against the 50,000 median, about 137 a day. For what that traffic means for a machine, see [how much foot traffic a vending machine needs](https://vendingmachineslocations.com/how-much-foot-traffic-vending-machine/).

## How does revenue share, or commission, vary by venue type?

A vending location's revenue share, also called its commission, is the percentage of machine sales the venue keeps; in these listings it is a percentage of net sales. By venue type it splits into two camps: recreation and attraction venues center on 40%, retail, gas, food and mall venues on 50%. Bowling alleys sit lowest: 7 of 18 ask less than 40%, including 6 of the 11 listings at 30%.

| Venue type | Listings | Median visitors a year (n) | Visitor range | Median share (n) | Share range |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| Bowling alley | 18 | 50,000 (16) | 10,400–250,000 | 40% (18) | 30–40% |
| Indoor playground | 15 | 40,000 (11) | 7,000–150,000 | 40% (13) | 30–40% |
| Family entertainment center | 11 | 65,000 (9) | 10,000–100,000 | 40% (11) | 30–50% |
| Trampoline park | 7 | 100,000 (6) | 20,000–150,000 | 40% (6) | 40% |
| Arcade | 4 | 55,000 (3) | 10,000–120,000 | 35% (3) | 30–40% |
| Retail | 3 | 145,500 (2) | 36,000–255,000 | 50% (3) | 50% |
| Amusement park | 2 | 165,000 (2) | 50,000–280,000 | 40% (2) | 40% |
| Electronics store | 2 | 100,000 (1) | 100,000 | 50% (2) | 50% |
| Entertainment venue | 2 | 100,000 (2) | 100,000 | 40% (2) | 40% |
| Escape room | 2 | 25,000 (1) | 25,000 | 40% (2) | 40% |
| Gas station | 2 | 355,000 (2) | 350,000–360,000 | 50% (2) | 50% |
| Gymnastics gym | 2 | 23,000 (2) | 1,000–45,000 | 40% (2) | 40% |
| Hotel | 2 | 100,000 (1) | 100,000 | 40% (1) | 40% |
| Mall | 2 | — (0) | — | 50% (2) | 50% |
| Water park | 2 | 217,500 (2) | 175,000–260,000 | 40% (2) | 40% |
| Campground | 1 | — (0) | — | 40% (1) | 40% |
| Deli | 1 | 280,000 (1) | 280,000 | 50% (1) | 50% |
| Food service | 1 | — (0) | — | 50% (1) | 50% |
| Haunted attraction | 1 | 45,000 (1) | 45,000 | 40% (1) | 40% |
| Ice rink | 1 | 400,000 (1) | 400,000 | 40% (1) | 40% |
| Indoor mini golf | 1 | 77,000 (1) | 77,000 | 40% (1) | 40% |
| Indoor soccer | 1 | 45,000 (1) | 45,000 | — (0) | — |
| Kids center | 1 | 15,000 (1) | 15,000 | 40% (1) | 40% |
| Mini golf | 1 | 49,000 (1) | 49,000 | 40% (1) | 40% |
| Rage room | 1 | 8,400 (1) | 8,400 | 30% (1) | 30% |
| Roller rink | 1 | 35,000 (1) | 35,000 | 40% (1) | 40% |
| **All listings** | **87** | **50,000 (69)** | **1,000–400,000** | **40% (81)** | **30–50%** |

Rows with one or two listings are examples, not norms. [Amusement parks](https://vendingmachineslocations.com/vending-machine-amusement-park/), [rage rooms](https://vendingmachineslocations.com/vending-machine-rage-room-axe-throwing/), [escape rooms](https://vendingmachineslocations.com/vending-machine-escape-room/), [gymnastics gyms](https://vendingmachineslocations.com/vending-machine-gymnastics-gym/), [roller rinks](https://vendingmachineslocations.com/vending-machine-roller-rink/), [indoor soccer facilities](https://vendingmachineslocations.com/vending-machine-indoor-soccer/) and [campgrounds](https://vendingmachineslocations.com/vending-machine-campground-rv-park/) each have a Venue File, and the 400,000-visitor figure belongs to a single [ice rink](https://vendingmachineslocations.com/vending-machine-ice-rink/). Set against how long each type's visitors stay, the same shares feed our [ranking of vending machine locations by visitor-hours](https://vendingmachineslocations.com/best-vending-machine-locations/).

To test the split, we grouped the 26 venue labels ourselves: retail, mall, electronics store, gas station, deli, food service and hotel form one group; the other 19 labels are recreation and attraction venues.

| Group | Listings (with a share) | Median share | At 40% | At 50% | Median visitors (n) |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| Recreation and attraction (19 types) | 74 (69) | 40% | 54 | 1 | 50,000 (62) |
| Retail, food and travel (7 types) | 13 (12) | 50% | 1 | 11 | 255,000 (7) |

The only recreation venue at 50% is a family entertainment center in Lawrence, Kansas, and the only retail-group listing below 50% is a hotel at 40%. All 6 listings signed for a "flexible" machine sit in the retail group, and all 6 ask 50%.

## Does a busier venue ask for a bigger share?

A busier venue asks for a slightly bigger share in this data, but the effect is small and comes mostly from a handful of high-traffic shops and gas stations. Across the 67 listings with both a visitor count and a share, Spearman's rank correlation is 0.36, unlikely to be chance (permutation p = 0.002). Within the 60 recreation venues it falls to 0.23 (p = 0.08), which does not clear the usual 5% bar.

| Annual visitors (venue-reported) | With a share | 30% | 40% | 50% | Other (35%, 45%) | Median share |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| Under 25,000 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 40% |
| 25,000–49,999 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 40% |
| 50,000–99,999 | 18 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 40% |
| 100,000–199,999 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 40% |
| 200,000 or more | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 45% |
| Not counted | 14 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 40% |

The table counts the 81 listings that set a share; the 25,000–49,999 band and the not-counted group each hold 18 listings, 2 and 4 of them without a share yet.

The low-traffic end is where the 30% asks gather: 7 of the 27 listings under 50,000 visitors take 30%, against 2 of the 22 at 100,000 or more. At the top, the 8 listings reporting 200,000 or more split cleanly by type. The 4 recreation venues among them, an amusement park, a water park, an ice rink and a bowling alley, ask 30–40%; the 4 asking 50% are two gas stations, a deli and a retail store.

Restrict the table to recreation venues and the median share is 40% in every traffic band. Our reading, which a reader could dispute: venue type sets the share, and traffic mostly does not. In this sample, a recreation venue asking more than 40% of net is an outlier, whatever its visitor count.

## What does a 40% net share equal as a share of gross?

A 40% share of net sales equals 31% of gross sales at an $8 price, Dwell Time's house assumption, and less at lower prices, because every listing first deducts a fixed $1.80 cost of goods per unit, the figure written into each host agreement. A 25% gross share matches a 40% net share only at a $4.80 price.

| Price per unit (assumed) | Net per unit | 30% of net, as share of gross | 40% of net | 50% of net |
|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| $4.00 | $2.20 | 16.5% | 22.0% | 27.5% |
| $5.00 | $3.20 | 19.2% | 25.6% | 32.0% |
| $6.00 | $4.20 | 21.0% | 28.0% | 35.0% |
| $8.00 | $6.20 | 23.3% | 31.0% | 38.8% |

The $4–$6 rows deliberately test prices below the $8 house assumption. The table is an illustration, not a forecast; the listings do not say how sales tax or card fees are treated.

## Why do these venues ask 40% when most guides quote 0–20%?

Popular vending guides quote 0–20% of revenue, usually without saying whether that is gross or net, or for which venues, while the recreation venues in these listings ask 30–50% of net sales. At an $8 price with the $1.80 deduction, that is 23–39% of gross: part of the gap is the basis, and part is the venue.

[Vending.com's location guide](https://www.vending.com/blog/the-best-locations-for-vending-machines/) puts the cost of a placement at a share of revenue, often 10–20%, or a monthly rent of $25 to $100 or more. [VMFS USA's guide to choosing a location](https://vmfsusa.com/blogs/starting-your-vending-business/how-to-choose-a-profitable-vending-location) lists 0% as common, 5–15% as the standard range and 20% or more as rare. Neither gives a sample.

Two 2026 public contracts pay on gross. The Los Angeles Recreation and Parks vending agreement, which the City Council approved on March 6, 2026 ([council action](https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2026/26-0187_caf_3-10-26.pdf)), pays the department [25% of gross receipts plus a $10 monthly utility charge per machine](https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2026/26-0187_rpt_aplce_02-24-26.pdf). Grand Junction, Colorado's [recreation center vending contract](https://trim22-web.gjcity.org/GJ_WebDrawer/Record/1171165/File/document), signed July 9, 2026, pays the city 15% of gross sales, which exclude sales tax and come before any deduction for product costs or card fees. At $8 a sale, those shares come to $2.00 and $1.20, against $2.48 for 40% of net.

Our view: in this data a 40% net ask from a recreation venue is the going rate, not an overcharge; compare offers in dollars per sale, not percentages.

## Does revenue share differ by region?

Revenue share by region barely differs once the venue mix is accounted for: the median is 40% in all four Census regions. The South has the most 50% listings, 7 of 36, but all 7 are retail, gas, electronics, mall or food venues. The West, 8 listings from two states, is too small to read alone.

| Census region | Listings (states) | Median visitors (n) | Median share (n) | At 30% | At 50% |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| Northeast | 19 (7) | 75,000 (15) | 40% (17) | 4 | 2 |
| Midwest | 22 (6) | 50,000 (17) | 40% (21) | 2 | 2 |
| South | 38 (14) | 50,000 (32) | 40% (36) | 5 | 7 |
| West | 8 (2) | 65,000 (5) | 40% (7) | 0 | 1 |

Regions follow the [Census Bureau's four-region map](https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf). No state has more than 7 listings (Ohio, Wisconsin and California have 7 each), so we do not publish state medians; every row is in the CSV.

## What do the fees, terms and machine fields show?

Every listing carries a 16-month minimum term, and the operator's fee schedule splits exactly at 100,000 reported visitors. All 22 listings at or above that count are Premium, priced at $2,000 plus $200 a month; all 65 others, including the 18 without a count, are Standard, at $1,000 plus $100 a month.

That split matches the marketplace's published pricing page, which defines a Premium location as 100,000 or more visitors a year and sets no traffic floor for Standard. Yet 8 of the 22 Premium listings report exactly 100,000, the most common value in the file; a count on the threshold is a round estimate, so ask how the venue counted.

The machine field records one machine per listing: cotton candy for 80, a "flexible" machine for 6 and a drink and snack machine for 1, an indoor playground in Farmingdale, New York. On October 5, 2026, though, 19 of the 87 listing pages named more than one machine. Of those, 18 add a drink and snack machine to the cotton candy one and 2 add a collectible machine; one water park adds both.

## How did we get these numbers?

We got these numbers from one snapshot: every open listing in the marketplace on October 5, 2026, 87 rows, analyzed in Python. Medians use every listing with a value, quartiles use linear interpolation, and the correlation is Spearman's rank coefficient with a 20,000-shuffle permutation test. The second-machine count comes from the 87 public listing pages, read the same day.

Limits a reader should keep in mind:

- **A snapshot, not a census.** The marketplace shows venues with an open machine slot; the company's about page lists 329 host agreements signed in total, so filled venues are missing.
- **A skewed sample.** 80 of 87 listings name a cotton candy machine and 74 are recreation venues. Nothing here describes office or breakroom vending.
- **Estimates, not counts.** 59 of the 69 visitor figures are multiples of 5,000, and 41 are multiples of 10,000.
- **Seasonal venues.** The listings' daily figures divide the annual count by 365 and round it, which flattens a seasonal venue's busy months.
- **Asks, not outcomes.** A share is what the venue's listing asks. The file contains no sales, no operator earnings and no renewals.
- **Our labels.** Venue types are the marketplace's labels; the recreation versus retail grouping is ours.

[Download the CSV](https://vendingmachineslocations.com/data/pinpoint-marketplace-2026-10-05.csv) (87 rows, 19 columns). It is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with the credit line given on the [dataset page](https://vendingmachineslocations.com/data/). We will re-run the study when the listings change materially and date the update here.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a fair revenue share for a vending location?

In this sample of 81 listings, recreation venues most often take 40% of net sales and retail, gas and food venues take 50%. Whether a figure is fair depends on its basis: 40% of net works out to about 31% of gross at an $8 price once the $1.80 cost of goods comes off.

### Do venues take a share of gross sales or net?

Every listing in this dataset that sets a share, 81 of 87, takes it from net sales, defined as sales minus a fixed $1.80 cost of goods per unit. Public contracts can pay on gross instead: Los Angeles's 2026 parks agreement pays 25% of gross receipts, and Grand Junction, Colorado's recreation center contract pays 15%.

### Do vending machine owners pay rent to the location?

Not in these listings. Each one pays the venue a split of sales, 30% to 50% of net where the figure is recorded, and none sets a fixed rent. Some public contracts add fixed charges on top of the commission; Los Angeles charges $10 a month per machine for utilities.

### Does more foot traffic mean a higher vending commission?

Only weakly in this data. The rank correlation between reported visitors and venue share is 0.36 across 67 listings and 0.23 within recreation venues, where the median share is 40% at every traffic level.

### What is the typical vending machine commission?

It depends on the basis and the venue. Industry guides quote 10–20% of revenue or call 5–15% standard, recent city recreation contracts pay 15–25% of gross, and the recreation venues in these listings ask a median 40% of net sales, about 31% of gross at an $8 price.

## Next step

Before answering a venue's share request, place it in these tables: find the venue type, confirm whether the ask is on net or gross, and convert it at your own price with the $1.80 deduction. If the ask sits outside its type's range, ask why. To compare live terms, [PinPoint Vending's current listings](https://pinpoint-vending.com/marketplace) show each open venue's share and visitor count, filterable by annual traffic.

## Sources

- [Arts, Parks, Libraries, and Community Enrichment Committee report, Council File 26-0187 (vending machine concession, 25% of gross), City of Los Angeles, February 24, 2026](https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2026/26-0187_rpt_aplce_02-24-26.pdf)
- [Official action of the Los Angeles City Council, Council File 26-0187, March 6, 2026](https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2026/26-0187_caf_3-10-26.pdf)
- [Contract: Vending Machine Services for the Community Recreation Center (RFP-5915-26-KF), City of Grand Junction, Colorado, July 9, 2026](https://trim22-web.gjcity.org/GJ_WebDrawer/Record/1171165/File/document)
- [Where to Put Vending Machines: 15+ Most Profitable Locations and Placement Tips, Ashley Hubler, Vending.com (September 9, 2022)](https://www.vending.com/blog/the-best-locations-for-vending-machines/)
- [How to Choose a Profitable Vending Location, VMFS USA](https://vmfsusa.com/blogs/starting-your-vending-business/how-to-choose-a-profitable-vending-location)
- [Census Regions and Divisions of the United States, U.S. Census Bureau](https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf)
- [The Dwell Time vending location dataset: open listings on October 5, 2026](https://vendingmachineslocations.com/data/)
- [PinPoint Vending pricing page (venue share, Premium tier), accessed October 5, 2026](https://pinpoint-vending.com/pricing)
- The company's about page (host agreements signed), accessed October 5, 2026

## Corrections

- Correction, October 5, 2026: An earlier version called the Los Angeles parks vending agreement proposed. The City Council approved it on March 6, 2026 (Council File 26-0187).
- Correction, October 5, 2026: An earlier version labeled the visitor-band table's count column Listings. It counts listings that set a share: the 25,000 to 49,999 band holds 18 listings, 16 with a share, and the not-counted group 18, 14 with a share (marketplace CSV, October 5, 2026).