Clear claw crane toy "gambling" games out of Chiang Mai, says parent

[webfact]

Clear claw crane toy "gambling" games out of Chiang Mai, says parent

 

Caption: Parent complains: Says that claw crane games are just gambling

 

A parent has gone to the Chiang Mai media to call for an end to claw crane games in the city.

 

The games - where people put in 10 baht or more to operate a crane to grab a toy - are everywhere in the city.

 

They are not just seen in department stores and arcades but pop up everywhere, said the parent. 

 

The claim is that the machines are unfair, the prizes are fake and children put in hundreds of baht for a cheap toy. They are just gambling, they said.

 

When parents refuse to hand over coins their children get upset. 

 

Picture: Chiang Mai News

 

Some children on their own are putting in as much as 500 baht to get brand name toys that turn out to be just copies bought from the border. 

 

The parent said that she went to police who admitted the games are "second tier" gambling devices. 

 

There was a crackdown years ago but now the games are back.

 

And it is not surprising. One operator told Chiang Mai News that they make 200,000 to 300,000 a month from coins put in their machines. 

 

They admitted the prizes were cheap and that deals were made with the authorities to allow them to operate. Fines if levied were also "second tier" and could easily be paid.

 

There was no shortage of customers at shopping centers, CMN found out in a survey on Monday.

 

Now the parent is set to make a formal complaint with the head of the Region 5 police to try and get the games cleared out of the city. 

 

Source: Chiang Mai News

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-05-07

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[canuckamuck]

I'd love to know what the ratio is for wins to attempts in those games. As far as I can tell, many of them are incapable of picking up the toys under any circumstance. My kids love to try, but no one ever wins.

[ThreeEyedRaven]

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

They are just gambling, they said

Yes. That's it. Hook em when they are young, so gambling becomes part of life. Next generation will then be primed and ready to blow their money on lottery tickets and whatever else there is around at the time.

[Thaiwrath]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

There was a crackdown years ago but now the games are back.

 

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

deals were made with the authorities to allow them to operate.

This could be said about almost everything that has, at some stage, been "cracked down" on in Thailand.

Edited May 7, 2019 by Thaiwrath

[AlexRich]

I suppose it’s a parental responsibility to keep their kids away from harmful vendors ... including fast food joints. 

 

Those machines are a rip off, they have the grab strength of an arthritic granny.

[RotBenz8888]

1 hour ago, canuckamuck said:

I'd love to know what the ratio is for wins to attempts in those games. As far as I can tell, many of them are incapable of picking up the toys under any circumstance. My kids love to try, but no one ever wins.

A good opportunity to teach your kids what scam is all about.

[happysoul]

Just saw them being emptied and shut down at Big C on superhighway. 

I didn't mind seeing them as you know you won't win anything. It's like casinos, just do it for fun. 

Now will they get rid of the balls with a toy inside machines too? 

[Lupatria]

1 hour ago, canuckamuck said:

but no one ever wins...

1 hour ago, webfact said:

One operator told Chiang Mai News that they make 200,000 to 300,000 a month from coins put in their machines. 

They admitted the prizes were cheap and that deals were made with the authorities to allow them to operate.

 

How could you say, nobody wins?

[mercman24]

typical Thai bad parenting., dont blame the machines , try taking control of your kids, nah that is a stupid idea

[wwest5829]

45 minutes ago, mercman24 said:

typical Thai bad parenting., dont blame the machines , try taking control of your kids, nah that is a stupid idea

Whoa, Hoss. Why do you not make the statement as, "typical bad parenting"? Refusing to say, "no" to their children certainly is not limited to parents in Thailand.

[Greenside]

Those machines are very seductive to children - I remember them on seaside piers in England a good 60 years ago and they were impossible to win anything on then.  My children turned up Pester Power to 11 when they first appeared in Big C, Hang Dong, but I stood firm and made them watch for 10 minutes as hopeful punters lost coin after coin.   They really should be banned and the people getting paid for turning a blind eye fined a serious amount.

 

About the only good thing that ever came from them was the little green aliens scene in Toy Story but I can't get it to play here for some reason.

 

 

Edited May 7, 2019 by Greenside
Failed You Tube embeded clip

[Greenside]

 

Thanks to NCC1701A for showing me how to insert the clip...

[AhFarangJa]

These grabs work on air pressure. The claw is connected to a small plastic tube, inside the machine is a valve to regulate the pressure which is never high enough to give the claw a chance of holding anything.

I guess as these were once banned and now returning there is an official somewhere who's grab claw is working very well....

[wadsy]

On 5/7/2019 at 5:13 PM, happysoul said:

Just saw them being emptied and shut down at Big C on superhighway. 

I didn't mind seeing them as you know you won't win anything. It's like casinos, just do it for fun. 

Now will they get rid of the balls with a toy inside machines too? 

Looks a bit like a muslim crane machine with that covering bud. ????

[webfact]

Latest gambling arrests: Claw crane toy games subject to instant crackdown: 2 arrests so far

 

Caption: Arrests of claw crane machine operators after public complaints re: gambling

 

Police in Chiang Mai have reacted swiftly to public complaints claiming the ubiquitous claw crane toy games are little more than an excuse for gambling.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1099378-latest-gambling-arrests-claw-crane-toy-games-subject-to-instant-crackdown-2-arrests-so-far/

[carlyai]

I remember as a youngster going to a show where they had machinary, cattle, games etc. There was a machine punching out round flat discs that someone put in one of these crane machines...and it worked. So we hung around and got as many discs as possible and put them in the machine. Never looked like winning a prize.

Sent from my SM-J700F using Tapatalk

[SABloke]

On 5/7/2019 at 12:25 PM, webfact said:

They are just gambling, they said.

Did they say this before or after buying their lottery ticket? 

[lannarebirth]

Isn't it more akin to theft than gambling? Presumably with gambling there is some small chance of winning.