Mum says claw machine is rigged after spending £100 for just one toy

[Stillstrawberrywater]

There is a article in our local paper website about a 34 year old Mum who spent £100 on trying to win a cuddly toy for her 5 month old ds from a claw machine at an amusement arcade on a holiday resort somewhere in Sussex. She initially spent £40 then complained to a member of staff, who changed the setting of the machine. She then won the toy with her next go. The member of staff then changed the setting once more, but said Mum wanted a 2nd toy for her ds, so proceeded to spend another £60.

I would link the article but our local paper website is full of spam and slows your computer down so i'll spare you that.

But why? Why would this woman go to such effort for a 5 month old, who probably isn't old enough to really care anyway? And surely you could just find said toy on ebay for £5 anyway?

What an idiot! I love the thrill of having a go on those machines if we go to the seaside but will spend about £2! Have won a few things over the years but clearly it’s rigged rather than me having some kind of skill!

Maybe she just wanted a claim to fame?
Can't think why else she would do it!

She looks completely stoned!

One of the comments on the Facebook article is

“I wish my Mam made gravy as thick as this”

Spat my tea out

“I was not abusive or anything,” she said.

Subtext; she was abusive.

@Stillstrawberrywater

What Da fook?

Haha how could anyone be that stupid?

You can't fix stupid.

Let's say she was naive and didn't realise it was pre-set to a certain win ratio - I could understand that.

But why, after the staff member had adjusted it so she got the toy she wanted, did she throw away another £60?

A. She'd got the toy for her son.
B. The adjustment would have demonstrated that it was, indeed, 'rigged'.

It's that I simply don't get. It's not naive or stupid, it's downright irrational.

I actually find it quite sad.

Bet she's 'fumming'

🤦‍♀️ How does she get dressed in the morning?! Embarrassing enough it happened but to go to the papa era really makes me question her intelligence.

I remember my lovely dad used to observe in arcades and work out the patterns of the grab machines so we were guaranteed to win when we had a go. We thought he was magic, bless.

All the ones you have there aren’t the ones you can get in a shop,” she said.

“They are the sort you would have to order online.”

Er...

Is there an intelligence equivalent of the Darwin awards?

She must have an extremely addictive personality.

Looking at that photo, she appears to have a lazy eye, which probably didn't help!

I know someone who owns a little arcade in a beach town and he can win an animal everytime, he’s shown me. I’ve never bothered as the toys always look dirty to me.

I won one of the 'floating' penny falls toys that never fall once because it was stuck under a ledge. We still refer to it as Stuck Unicorn.

Clearly this woman needed my Granny to teach her all about gambling at at early age like I had. Seemed inappropriate to my parents at the time but it's stood me in good stead. In this case the lesson was; decide before you start what you will spend and walk away after. Thanks Granny.

Here's a less spammy link

www.theregister.co.uk/2019/07/02/mum_funnels_a_hundred_pounds_into_claw_machine_to_win_single_dumbo_teddy_for_her_kid/

with some rather less sympathetic comments

I thought it was common knowledge they were rigged.

So she is thick and she wants everyone to know she is thick, job done. I would quite like a Rasta banana though.

Because a lot of people are really dumb. Like not-much-more- intelligence-than-a-lab-rat dumb (in fact I’m probably being unfair to the average rat).

When my dd was little she tried to win a cuddly toy from a claw machine, claw kept opening just before the drop point, I spoke to a member of staff who said it was a "game of chance" ie gamling machine like a slot machine. I pointed out that under 18s were not allowed to play on gambling machines, he opened it up and gave her two teddies

I pointed out that under 18s were not allowed to play on gambling machines

Exactly! I can't believe these machines, obviously aimed at attracting children because they're filled with toys, are allowed to exist. A child might very reasonably assume it is a game of skill, rather than primarily a game of chance. They should get rid of them, or fill them with items that won't interest children, or at least label them clearly as a gambling machine.