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

[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.

 

Yesterday Thaivisa reported the complaints with claims that the machines were enticing children into gambling. 

 

And they were causing parents hardship in having to turn down their children's pestering for coins to feed the machines that are found not only in Chiang Mai but all over Thailand's malls.

 

Caption: Investigation underway. Claw crane toy machines sealed off by black cloth city wide

 

It was also said that the prizes were cheap copies and the machines were just a total ripoff netting operators 100,000s of baht a month.

 

It was further said that previous crackdowns had gone by the wayside with an explosion of new games having been set up.

 

Chiang Mai News reported that the provincial governor ordered an immediate investigation after the complaints were made. 

 

Claw crane toy games throughout the city were covered by black cloth as Region 5 police swooped.

 

Led by Pol Col Rungsakun Bunkrapheu two arrests of operators were made.

 

Arrested on the fourth floor of Central Airport Plaza was Jaruprapha Janthrawong, 32. She had one machine.

 

Arrested at the Promenada Resort Mall's first floor was Panya Chochuangnapha, 52. He also had one machine.

 

They were charged with operating a gambling device - namely a claw crane toy machine - without a licence. 

 

 

Thaivisa notes that it remains to be seen if the games become the latest "gambling medium" to be targeted or if the two arrests are just fall guys. 

 

Pensioners in Pattaya were famously arrested some years back for playing bridge and darts has come under scrutiny. 

 

Gambling infractions are a serious business in Thailand though Thaivisa further notes that claims last year that the game "Connect Four" was being cracked down upon was an in-company April Fool's day joke. 

 

Sources: Chiang Mai News | Chiang Mai News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-05-09

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[bluesofa]

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

Gambling infractions are a serious business in Thailand though Thaivisa further notes that claims last year that the game "Connect Four" was being cracked down upon was an in-company April Fool's day joke. 

Until some jumped-up official sees it as a money-making opportunity of course.

Then it will be listed under the news heading "You couldn't make this stuff up"

[Odysseus123]

Ah,for goodness sakes..

[mercman24]

how pathetic, get a life, i have seen people winning on these machines, its the weak parents at fault,no should mean no,  in the Uk when the fairs came around or a trip to the seaside, we use to have fun trying to outwit the machines, but then again we were brought up properly, not go whingin to authorities

[NancyL]

Next to go will be the little mechanical horses at the malls because the kids pester their parents too much for coins so they can go ride the pretty pony.

 

For goodness sake -- when I was a young kid, this how my mother got me to behave during a trip to the grocery store.  If I was a good girl, I got to ride the pretty pink pony at the front of the store just before we went home. Any whining or asking to buy stuff and it was no pony for me.

[edgarfriendly]

my kids have really enjoyed pulling shitty little bears and such from these games of relative skill.

 

hardly surprising someone has felt the need to complain they didnt win or some other nonsense.

 

wait until cp/mcd/chang 'invent' the same thing but to win beers/cigarettes/toxic snacks.

 

licences for all!!!!

[Odysseus123]

5 minutes ago, NancyL said:

Next to go will be the little mechanical horses at the malls because the kids pester their parents too much for coins so they can go ride the pretty pony.

 

For goodness sake -- when I was a young kid, this how my mother got me to behave during a trip to the grocery store.  If I was a good girl, I got to ride the pretty pink pony at the front of the store just before we went home. Any whining or asking to buy stuff and it was no pony for me.

Never,ever,gamble on the pink pony.

Immediate arrest.Incarceration.60,000 baht fine,deportation and blacklisted.????

[cmsally]

If this is illegal then how come the lottery is legal ?

Pretty much everything in life is a gamble ; its a chance to educate children about the laws of probability. What's worth the risk and what is not. If the "powers" are serious, then I would like them to have to face a group of children and explain exactly how this is different from the lottery.

[bluesofa]

2 minutes ago, cmsally said:

If this is illegal then how come the lottery is legal ?

Pretty much everything in life is a gamble ; its a chance to educate children about the laws of probability. What's worth the risk and what is not. If the "powers" are serious, then I would like them to have to face a group of children and explain exactly how this is different from the lottery.

I remember a few years ago, the government at the time defended the lottery (being a cash cow), saying it was not gambling, but 'a game of chance', therefore legal.

[sanemax]

Those machines are a complete rip-off , rigged to stop you from ever winning .

The claw doesnt grip at all , just slides over the toys and jolts when its reached the top , so that if you did actually grip a toy , it would drop down before it reached the gap when the winning toys are deposited .

   A complete con and you can buy the toys for 20 Baht anyway

[edgarfriendly]

1 minute ago, sanemax said:

Those machines are a complete rip-off , rigged to stop you from ever winning .

The claw doesnt grip at all , just slides over the toys and jolts when its reached the top , so that if you did actually grip a toy , it would drop down before it reached the gap when the winning toys are deposited .

   A complete con and you can buy the toys for 20 Baht anyway

intersting as my kids bedroom has dozens of won toys & bears.

 

agree its all 10thb tat but its the thrill of winning that matters not that retarded 'kids' 'never win'

[sanemax]

2 minutes ago, edgarfriendly said:

intersting as my kids bedroom has dozens of won toys & bears.

 

agree its all 10thb tat but its the thrill of winning that matters not that retarded 'kids' 'never win'

From those claw machines ?

How much did they spend to win those 30  toys ?

The probability must be about 100-1 to win , did they play 3000 times ?

[edgarfriendly]

47 minutes ago, sanemax said:

From those claw machines ?

How much did they spend to win those 30  toys ?

The probability must be about 100-1 to win , did they play 3000 times ?

wrong again!

 

sometimes, often actually, we get a win on 1st or 2nd grab

 

on a ferry trip we got 5 wins each without more than 3 missed attempts.

 

so your facts, assumptions & calculations so far are all incorrect.

 

furthermore 'they' didnt spend anything, i did. and as an adult im more than happy to see my kids enjoy themselves for the bargain prices of almost nothing.

 

the only point youve made that i agree with is its all junk, but as i already explained thats irrelevant.

 

a few coins for a few toys for the kids to be happy and pleasant memories/experiences

 

im happy, kids are happy, machine operator is happy.

 

 

 

 

[cmsally]

When I was about 8-10yrs old I had a good friend whose dad ran a whole seafront entertainment centre which included areas with these machines. Many happy hours at his place putting coins in and then having possession of the key that opens the back and getting your money back. After a while the novelty does wear off though. You can have the best of both worlds, just get your own machine!

[sanemax]

7 minutes ago, edgarfriendly said:

intersting as my kids bedroom has dozens of won toys & bears.

 

agree its all 10thb tat but its the thrill of winning that matters not that retarded 'kids' 'never win'

Quite an unpleasant term, suggesting that "retarded" kids never win those games .

I beg to differ , I do think that its rather stupid to spend 500 Baht , trying to win something thats worth 20 Baht 

[Vacuum]

24 minutes ago, edgarfriendly said:

its the thrill of winning that matters

O course it is, but why teach them at an early age?

[PatOngo]

40 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Never,ever,gamble on the pink pony.

Immediate arrest.Incarceration.60,000 baht fine,deportation and blacklisted.????

I heard that pink pony is a certainty in the last race at Epsom, sure to win by a short half head at favorable odds on a muddy track!

[sammieuk1]

Think they should get the owners of cranes to demo the win ratio before wrapping them up in black RIP teddies ????

[ParadiseLost]

Anything that gets kids away from electronic devices should be applauded!

 

Even if the games are a rip-off, it is still paltry amounts compared to the average dad spends on beer, mom spends on make-up.

 

Learning that you can't always win is something Thai children should be forced to endure...

[madmitch]

If this is gambling so are the darts and shooting game popular at festivals, picking up goldfish on tissue paper paddles, the lucky draws at the temple carnival when you might win a cheap fan.....I could go on.

 

 

 

 

[cmsally]

As far as I can see , most of these have been placed in the big malls. I can't believe they were placed there without some kind of rent/fee being charged. Surely this makes the mall owners complicit in their operation ??

[NancyL]

As a kid, I could never win a toy with one of these claw grab games, but my brother was quite good.  Some kids are just better than others with this game.  Oh, and I'm not retarded, just have poor hand-eye coordination and what I now know to be lousy depth perception.  3D movies are a total waste of money for me.  

[sanemax]

12 minutes ago, edgarfriendly said:

triple posting is also against forum rules ... spam!

 

  That  wasnt deliberate , the triple posting was a glitch in the system .

You cannot play those claw games , they are illegal and have been closed down .

You will have to find other ways to enjoy yourself .

   Why not just spend your money on  going to buy those toys ,  you can buy a dozen at wholesale for 120 Baht  , rather than spending 500 Baht trying to win one .

  Buy one for 10 Baht OR spend 500 Baht trying to win one .

 I would have thought that you would go to the wholesalers 

[edgarfriendly]

yea cos kids fkn love going to grotty warehouses to grab a bargain bag of tat so i can save 50thb

 

do you need some help?

[darksidedog]

A number of posts have been removed. This includes duplicate posts, which the system generates as a glitch from time to time, along with a whole load of bickering and abusive ones, and some replies, one of which was actually exceptionally good.

Please keep it polite and on topic, or more people will be receiving warnings.

EDIT: And now some more posts have been removed and warnings are going out.

Anyone else wanting to ruin this thread will get the same.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, NancyL said:

Next to go will be the little mechanical horses at the malls because the kids pester their parents too much for coins so they can go ride the pretty pony.

 

For goodness sake -- when I was a young kid, this how my mother got me to behave during a trip to the grocery store.  If I was a good girl, I got to ride the pretty pink pony at the front of the store just before we went home. Any whining or asking to buy stuff and it was no pony for me.

 

Glad to see the local authorities there have their priorities straight...

 

--Epidemic drunk driving that's unenforced... meh....

--Life endangering air pollution that's impacting millions.... no biggie

--Cross border drug trafficking that floods Thailand with yaba.... money to be made...

 

But CLAW Crane Machines.... quick...  call out the SWAT teams and let's crack down HARD!!!!

 

 

[IraqRon]

have to agree with sane max, those machines are bogus and fixed as he says.  I don't want my child thinking it wise to spend big money to get a junk trinket, no matter how wealthy I may or maynot be.

[sanemax]

30 minutes ago, NancyL said:

As a kid, I could never win a toy with one of these claw grab games, but my brother was quite good.  Some kids are just better than others with this game.  Oh, and I'm not retarded, just have poor hand-eye coordination and what I now know to be lousy depth perception.  3D movies are a total waste of money for me.  

We are talking about modern day claw machines in Thailand , the machines that you played as a child were probably very different and you may have have a chance of winning .

   The machines in question, the modern day ones are fixed so that you cannot win , they also seemed to be fixed so that you nearly win , a toy gets picked up and then dropped before it reaches the exit hatch .

  This encourages players to think "I nearly won, I'll have another go*

I stood and watched those machines in question last week for about 30 minutes   , four machines in a row  and they were quite popular , Thais queuing up to have a go and no one won anything .

  They were digging deep in their pockets and putting all their money in and I did think to myself that they need saving from their selves

[johng]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

Those machines are a complete rip-off , rigged to stop you from ever winning .

The claw doesnt grip at all , just slides over the toys and jolts when its reached the top , so that if you did actually grip a toy , it would drop down before it reached the gap when the winning toys are deposited .

   A complete con and you can buy the toys for 20 Baht anyway

I agree they are very difficult to actually get the prize out..

 

How on earth they can be compared to gambling I don't know..I remember a few years ago they had a similar crackdown  of the   "throw a dart at the balloons" , "ring over a bottle"

"airgun target  shooter"  and other games that could win prizes at the temple fairs

 

Then in Pattaya there was the raid on a pensioners  bridge club  and shortly after a  crackdown on those despicable  bar room dart boards.

 

Strangely I hear that there is betting going on at  boxing matches,horse racing tracks,cock fights

and at funerals all over Thailand...and of course the already mentioned "lottery" ...

[sanemax]

Just now, johng said:

.

 

How on earth they can be compared to gambling I don't know..I remember a few years ago they had a similar crackdown  of the   "throw a dart at the balloons" , 

Those balloon bursting with darts are quite easy to win . Just always aim where theres four balloons together , in each corner , then get the middle one .

   And always throw the dart hard and avoid areas where a balloon has already burst , I quite often win those games , I got a giant fake Mickey Mouse for 40 Baht in playing fees