The only reason pinball machines weren't banned (or were legalized) in most U.S. jurisdictions way back in the day was because they were a game of skill. How do redemption machines like this (that are computer controlled to only pay out some percentage of the time) skate by the anti-gambling laws?

I've got to think this particular game is just plainly illegal, since even superhuman skill can never win (except for the 1 in 30 games that isn't in scam mode). But I guess prosecutors don't generally give a damn and no individual is harmed enough to make a civil case.

Maybe some clever lawyer could use this video as the basis of a class action case.

*debunked, *engineering

Adding video to channels (Debunked, Engineering) - requested by Zawash.

The claw machine is just the same. I don't let me kids use them, having explained that they are really poker machines, and offer them the gamblers helpline number instead. I also explained the controls that the operator can use to adjust the probability of a payout.

I think the fact that the machines are rigged has also put them off a little.

I went to the pinball museum in Vegas and they talk about the history of some of the machines; I think I remember that in the early days some of them were used for gambling and they got banned; then the games became skill games, but there were still a few that from all appearances were skill games, but if you landed in the right spot the owner would pay you out illegally