If you or your child has ever played claw machines, then I bet you didn’t realize they might be a form of gambling. Yeah, it’s true, many people believe claw machines should only be in casinos or illegal for those under twenty-one.

Those newer claw machines that look really cool to lure you in, have been built with the ability to rig the machine so the player can’t win the prize until the payout rate. The payout rate is a number set by the owner of the machine to only let someone win when they have made enough money. So basically, you can only win when the owner or vendor wants you too. Ya I know, it sucks right?

So I made a video explaining why one would believe claw machines are a form of gambling which I showed with my own claw machine.

Types of claw machines that can be rigged:

Those fancy claw machines that are rigged.

• E Claw machines
• Any E Laut machines
• Toy Soldier machines
• Claw machines with licensed plush
• Claw machines with expensive prizes
• The Big One Crane machines
• And any newer machines

            Even though claw machines seem harmless they might just be how gambling addictions start in kids. So maybe hold off on the free plays for your kids. If you’ve ever wondered why you didn’t win on a claw machine when you thought your play was so perfect, then you’re not alone and there might be a reason behind it. These set payout rates make it pretty much impossible for the player to win unless you get lucky. It's kinda like Vegas since that's the place to go when you're feeling lucky.

Slot machine that might be similar to a claw machine

In Yoni Heisler’s article, "Video reveals how claw machines are rigged to steal your money", he stated, “claw machines have little to do with skill and, if anything, function more like slot machines than anything else.” (Heisler). Heisler shows how claw machines are a form of gambling by relating them to slot machines, another form of gambling.

Then in Casino Tek’s video, "Why you never win on a toy or candy claw machine", it is shown how the claw machine can rig a player and what it looks like when it rigs someone. Another reason given in the video to why claw machines shouldn’t be played is because they aren’t 100% skill based. So even if you’re a claw machine master you won’t win unless you play on the payout rate which the player has basically no way of telling when that will happen.

Because of these pay out rates many believe it makes these machines more like gambling machines. In David Schwartz article, "Gambling", he stated, “Gambling is the act of risking something of value on the outcome of an event in hopes of gain.” (Schwartz). Because gambling is risking something to try to win your target, it’s like claw machines with how the player will risk money in the hopes of winning a prize.

In epSos.de’s video, "Legal Claw Crane Gambling for Kids", it is shown that the claw machine is rigged by intentionally dropping the prize when the claw reaches the top of the machine. The author believes that claw machines should be illegal because they are not appropriate for kids.

How a claw machine is set to be rigged.

There are also other people who believe claw machines are harmless to kids but bad in states where gambling is illegal. In Angela Fox’s article, “The Claw” she told the story of her experience with a claw machine and how much fun it was. So basically, there are two sides of the story, how claw machines can either be gambling, or harmless fun.

In an Advisory Legal Opinion- “Crane Game Qualifies as Slot Machine” Robert Butterworth, the attorney general of Florida, stated, “Accordingly, I am of the opinion that a coin operated crane game having an unpredictable outcome or chance which is inherent in the machine qualifies as a "slot machine"” (Butterworth). Since this attorney general, Robert Butterworth, said that claw machines should be viewed as slot machines then if gambling was illegal so should claw machines for that area.

Claw machines make it seem like it’s not rigging you, but most of the time it will be. They are made to make you think the prize dropped on its own when really the claw let it go. One video on YouTube made by, epSos.de was called, “Legal Claw Crane Gambling for Kids”, and the camera operator showed how the claw purposely dropped the prize. You could tell that the claw was set to look like it couldn’t even pick up the prize which makes it rigged.

Many videos expose the ugly truth behind claw machines.

Yoni Heisler’s article, “Video Reveals How Claw Machines Are Rigged to Steal Your Money”, he explained how they are more rigged than fair because one of their algorithms makes the claw “mysteriously” drop the prize. This specific algorithm is proof that some claw machines can be set to be rigged.

The claw machine could even be set to where it won’t even pick up the prize. In be prepared’s YouTube video, “Claw machine is gambling” they showed how a claw machine could not pick up the prize. Seeing how the claw could not even move the prize when it was perfectly around it, something was clearly wrong.

In Casino Tek’s YouTube video, “Why you never win on a toy or candy claw machine” he talked about the different ways a claw machine can be set to rig the player, including how some won’t pick up the prize. With these different ways, a player can be rigged but only the vendor can decide when the claw can pick a prize up.

Some believe claw machines are like gambling, but we must determine what exactly gambling is first. According to the dictionary, gambling is the playing of games of chance for money. Which is similar to claw machines but usually there is only kids prizes in the machines.

All these claw machines are filled with plush

 In David Schwartz’s article, “Gambling” he explained how most of the time gamblers will risk money to hopefully gain more, or to gain a desired target. I think this shows why some believe claw machines are gambling machines since you will pay money in hopes of winning a prize in the machine. So maybe there is something to this whole gambling theory after all.

Types of claw machines that are typically fair:

• Play till you win machines
• Ball filled claw machines
• Sugar Loaf claw machines
• Older machines
• Most Walmart claw machines

There are many debates on how claw machines might be the cause of some gambling addictions but only a few for it just being a harmless arcade game. Knowing if claw machines cause gambling addictions is important because we don’t want our future children to have gambling addictions from playing games we thought were harmless. That would just lead to world with a ton of gamblers. Now it is time for you to decide which side you are on, the side where claw machines are a form of gambling, or if they’re harmless arcade games.