Hanging prize machines victims of theft by lasers Namco Bulletin. Kids frying strings

arcadecup

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Hanging prize machines victims of theft by lasers Namco Bulletin. Kids frying strings

Sheesh, what people will go through to get a prize.


Namco America Issues Warning About Lasers
Namco America issued a warning today about all games that have hanging prizes within them. Advancements and cost reductions in laser technology have created a new problem to those who operate games with hanging prizes whether the prize is hanging from a string or a spindle, the factory noted.

Hand held laser pointers with enough power to burn through colored string or a colored tie-wrap are now available for purchase from China at a fraction of the cost of what they were a couple of years ago. These devices are illegal in the U.S., but still find their way here via the Internet. A criminal armed with one of these can steal a number of prizes from a merchandiser in a short period of time, Namco noted.

The lasers have no affect on the white strings that currently ship with the Namco America games. The factory has been shipping BarBerCut Lite games stocked with white strings for around a year now.

"If you are currently operating a BarBerCut Lite game using orange strings, we strongly suggest you start using the white strings," Namco stressed. "Also, as many operators use plastic tie-wraps to attach their prizes to the strings or the spindles in all merchandisers with hanging prizes, we strongly suggest you only use white tie-wraps as well."

If you have any questions, or need any further information, contact Namco America at 847/264-5610, email
[email protected].
 
I lost $5 in the bar a few weeks ago to one of these machines. I was drinking, which is the only reason I played in the first place. I quickly figured out that a laser with enough power could heat the string and burn it. Seems pretty logical.
 
I am not justifying it, I am just saying that some of those machines have very nice prizes. The one at the BWW near me used to have a nintendo ds lite, and now has a really nice ipod in there
 
The Barbercut machine we have at the movie theater where I work usually has a Nintendo DS, some bootleg iPods, and Wal-Mart quality cameras in it. I've never bothered to play it, because it looks impossible to win.
 
The one at the mall in Fort Collins had PSPs, DS Lites, Zunes, and other cool prizes. That would be a decent score for someone with no moral compass.
 
The one at the mall in Fort Collins had PSPs, DS Lites, Zunes, and other cool prizes. That would be a decent score for someone with no moral compass.

Which is "less" moral, the person using a laser to get a prize from the game or the company making a ton of money off of the game by marketing the game as a game of skill, when in actuality, you cannot win before a certain dollar amount is reached, even if you played it perfectly? Not saying either one is right or wrong, just curious.
 
Whats a ton of money?

I operate several of these barbercuts.
The maximum pay out ratio is 800-1
Machine Cost $6499 plus tax and freight
$239 month thru Betson Finanacing


Game Collects $800
Game Gives out $200 I touch
Net $600 Profit Before 50/50 Split
- $300 To location
-$239 to Finance Company
= $61 to operator
This is if your lucky enough to have a location where a barbercut can do $800 a month.
In 30 months you will own the machine which will have been depreciated drastically.
And all this in hope that the piece of crap doesn't break and need to go to Betson and be repaired for $400
 
I really do miss the days of the claw machines that actually did require skill to win, then it slowly moved towards claw machines that had the grip loosened so that it required dumb luck rather than skill. Now these stacker games, light stopper machines, barbercut machines are all more or less gambling. The algorithim that determines whether or not the machine is going to pay out is the same as a slot machine, there's zero skill involved, just luck and a random number generator.
 
I operate several of these barbercuts.
The maximum pay out ratio is 800-1
Machine Cost $6499 plus tax and freight
$239 month thru Betson Finanacing


Game Collects $800
Game Gives out $200 I touch
Net $600 Profit Before 50/50 Split
- $300 To location
-$239 to Finance Company
= $61 to operator
This is if your lucky enough to have a location where a barbercut can do $800 a month.
In 30 months you will own the machine which will have been depreciated drastically.
And all this in hope that the piece of crap doesn't break and need to go to Betson and be repaired for $400

None of which has anything to do with whether it is morally right to market it as a game of skill when it clearly is not.
 
I operate several of these barbercuts.
The maximum pay out ratio is 800-1
Machine Cost $6499 plus tax and freight
$239 month thru Betson Finanacing


Game Collects $800
Game Gives out $200 I touch
Net $600 Profit Before 50/50 Split
- $300 To location
-$239 to Finance Company
= $61 to operator
This is if your lucky enough to have a location where a barbercut can do $800 a month.
In 30 months you will own the machine which will have been depreciated drastically.
And all this in hope that the piece of crap doesn't break and need to go to Betson and be repaired for $400

work on your split percentages, i have $300 gumball machines bringing in $61 a month.

This MERCHANDISER that you are supplying the product for should be no less than a 60/40 take (at least in this neck of the woods), which dramatically changes your profit over 30 months.
 
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I won three ipod shuffle's one night on one of these at the AMF place in Lake in the Hills, IL. I was on fire. I know they say the operator can control the payout. But I was beating those odds and then some. I got really good at getting that cutter lined up on the string. Usually the first good placement would get the cut started. Then a second good placement would cut all the way through. Anyway, I probably dumped $30.00 in the machine and got (3) legit apple shuffles.
 
The games don't operate solely on a percentage payout. They're randomized as well... so it's completely possible to win the top prize, put a dollar in, and then win the top prize again.
 
The games don't operate solely on a percentage payout. They're randomized as well... so it's completely possible to win the top prize, put a dollar in, and then win the top prize again.

But I was using skill. So, I don't understand how it's random.

Does it randomize how hard the scissors cut?
 
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I really do miss the days of the claw machines that actually did require skill to win

Skill to win?!?! I have never used a claw machine in my life that didn't have a pathetically loose claw that did nothing.

Now these stacker games, light stopper machines, barbercut machines are all more or less gambling. The algorithim that determines whether or not the machine is going to pay out is the same as a slot machine, there's zero skill involved, just luck and a random number generator.

I absolutely rule on those light stopper machines. I almost never lose. I had a friend who didn't believe me once, so I cleaned out a machine while he watched. I ended up with a dozen cameras and a bunch of DVD's. All you need is wicked-good rhythm, and you never stare directly at the light bulb you are trying to hit.
 
I won three ipod shuffle's one night on one of these at the AMF place in Lake in the Hills, IL. I was on fire. I know they say the operator can control the payout. But I was beating those odds and then some. I got really good at getting that cutter lined up on the string. Usually the first good placement would get the cut started. Then a second good placement would cut all the way through. Anyway, I probably dumped $30.00 in the machine and got (3) legit apple shuffles.

Didn't you ALSO just win a raffle for a FREE pinball machine?

I think you sold your soul to the devil for free arcade wares...just my opinion ;)
 
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I lost $5 in the bar a few weeks ago to one of these machines. I was drinking, which is the only reason I played in the first place. I quickly figured out that a laser with enough power could heat the string and burn it. Seems pretty logical.

You are kidding right? Who thinks of using a handheld laser (I didn't even know this existed)to cut a string? Are you some kind of spaceman from the future?
 
You are kidding right? Who thinks of using a handheld laser (I didn't even know this existed)to cut a string? Are you some kind of spaceman from the future?

I dunno. Just seems kinda obvious to me. What's a matter, ain't you never watched movies befo'?
 
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