Quarter Pusher Question?

pinman123

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Are these machines legal anywhere? Here in Louisiana they are outlawed do to gaming regulations but someone has told they are still around and legal in the state of Texas. I'm not talking about the fancy machines like the ones at chuckie cheese with tokens these are just the basic ones that you see on ebay.Does anyone know? Thanks,Mike
 
In Texas, it depends on local law enforcement. Some counties/cities have no problem with them, some say they are absolutely illegal and if you defy them the machine will be confiscated. If you really piss them off, you can be prosecuted along with the owner of the location for conspiracy to promote gambling. Similar situation with 8-liners. The Texas supreme court has ruled that by itself the machine is not illegal, you just have to strictly follow the laws they fall under. In general, most jurisdictions have no problem with a game or two in a location, but parlors containing dozens of machines get busted on a regular basis. One thing for sure, if someone with a badge tells you to move it you had better do so, unless you have deep pockets for lawyers.
 
we have some in MO but i dont know if there illegal b/c i know 8liners are and plenty of bars have them so like sayed above it all depends on your local law enforcement and if any gaming commission visit your place
 
There was one at the convenience store down the street until it changed hands last month. Apparently Kansas is OK with them. There was always some guy in there waiting for the attendant to look the other way so he could body slam the thing.
 
Talk to your local tax office for your county. Here in my county, they say that "they would prefer I didn't" but that if I wanted to, it was ok. I am gonna set one up, and see if I get any hassle in 2011. There is TONS of money to be made in one at the right location. The rumor I have heard is that for every $200 that falls to the customer, $2500 goes down the side holes to you. Provided you set up the machine right.
 
Talk to your local tax office for your county. Here in my county, they say that "they would prefer I didn't" but that if I wanted to, it was ok. I am gonna set one up, and see if I get any hassle in 2011. There is TONS of money to be made in one at the right location. The rumor I have heard is that for every $200 that falls to the customer, $2500 goes down the side holes to you. Provided you set up the machine right.

These machines are true moneymakers and yes i have talk to someone in the tax office and they are considered illegal gambling machines if theres real money on the tray.A gaming agent told me its because of the casinos and video poker not wanting to lose revenues
 
Talk to your local tax office for your county. Here in my county, they say that "they would prefer I didn't" but that if I wanted to, it was ok. I am gonna set one up, and see if I get any hassle in 2011. There is TONS of money to be made in one at the right location. The rumor I have heard is that for every $200 that falls to the customer, $2500 goes down the side holes to you. Provided you set up the machine right.

That's not even close. I've had as many as 12 on location at one time.

I would say it's closer to $200 to the player vs $350 to the bucket
 
Are these machines legal anywhere? Here in Louisiana they are outlawed do to gaming regulations but someone has told they are still around and legal in the state of Texas. I'm not talking about the fancy machines like the ones at chuckie cheese with tokens these are just the basic ones that you see on ebay.Does anyone know? Thanks,Mike

Generally, if they dispense money (as opposed to tickets), then they are classed as gambling devices and subject to appropriate laws (and from what I've seen, law and enforcement of gambling devices is HIGHLY variable across the US). There's lots of places in the US where you can have a small number of gaming devices, but be careful, there's usually tax stamps needed, and often the next town over will not allow them.

The ticket-dispensing ones are pretty much the same as other redemption equipment - squeaking in under the gambling laws because you can't get any money for the tickets.
 
There was a mexican joint up the street from our shop that had one. They had it for about a week until it got pulled. Was full of quarters and those little plastic bubbles with dollars inside. Kinda fun actually.
 
I have only seen the ones that dispense tickets. I have seen them in Nebraksa and Oregon. Some used quarters, some used tokens. As mentioned, they just count as redemption games. Big Haul is a redemption that has dump trucks that quarters/tokens land in. If you hit the dump lever, it dumps that truck and you get tickets based on how many coins got dumped. Similar concept to the pushers. In either case, you normally have large amounts of coins sitting in the machines in plain view. If you have actual money in a machine like that, it pays to have security cameras aimed at the machines and/or attendants that really pay attention. At the bowling alley where I worked, somebody broke into a Big Haul when I wasn't there. They removed the glass without breaking it and scooped the quarters out of the dump trucks. They aimed one of the security cameras so that they wouldn't be seen doing the deed but were caught on tape before and afterwards. I don't think the cops did anything about it but I did have a nice chat with them in the office. Just something to think about if anybody is considering running these. Its worse than a fully loaded change machine because people can see the actual money and are more tempted to take it.
 
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I have only seen the ones that dispense tickets. I have seen them in Nebraksa and Oregon. Some used quarters, some used tokens. As mentioned, they just count as redemption games. Big Haul is a redemption that has dump trucks that quarters/tokens land in. If you hit the dump lever, it dumps that truck and you get tickets based on how many coins got dumped. Similar concept to the pushers. In either case, you normally have large amounts of coins sitting in the machines in plain view. If you have actual money in a machine like that, it pays to have security cameras aimed at the machines and/or attendants that really pay attention. At the bowling alley where I worked, somebody broke into a Big Haul when I wasn't there. They removed the glass without breaking it and scooped the quarters out of the dump trucks. They aimed one of the security cameras so that they wouldn't be seen doing the deed but were caught on tape before and afterwards. I don't think the cops did anything about it but I did have a nice chat with them in the office. Just something to think about if anybody is considering running these. Its worse than a fully loaded change machine because people can see the actual money and are more tempted to take it.

When I was younger they used to be heavily available in Ocean City, Maryland on the boardwalk. Each arcade would have 5 or 6 of the really big, octagonal ones that actually gave out quarters. But that was a long time ago...
 
The Pot o' Silver I had it was about a 20% return to the player on average. 5:1

When you put bills in the machine, and some do get won, are you considering that in your percentage mix? Knives, lighters, etc.?


I can make it a 90 for me/10 for them payout. Jack up the front legs, add bolts to the playfield under the quarters, etc. But how long are people going to play it if they aren't winning anything?

If it is in a truck stop where mainly only travelers are playing it is one thing. In a covenience store where you have a lot of regular customers is another.
 
I'm not sure of the legalities in FL but I see these at quite a few convenience stores around me.

When I was a kid my dad took a job in Atlantic City in the late 70s and we would go to visit him on weekends. On the boardwalk they had everything from penny pushers on up to $.50 coin pushers and they were considered kids machines. My mom would give me a handful of change and I would play the hell out of them while they did 'real' gambling. I am looking for one to add to my gameroom and still play them when I see them in public.
 
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