This is something ive wondered about on and off for sometime.

Over the past few years it seems that these machines like prize grabber and fruit machines that spit out tickets instead of cash have exploded in arcades. Hundreds of different designs like the claw grabber, fruit machines that have tickets for prizes and the ones where you have to cut string to win the hanging prize. ive even now seen them where you have to push the prize via a keyhole that you are supposed to stop it on.

What im wondering is are these machines gambling and should they be regulated accordingly?
They tickets that add up to needing a million tickets for a pen im sure wouldnt be worth a maximum prize of over £8 but what about ones that give away ipods, cameras and the like?

Is it gambling or is it a bit of harmless fun that all ages can enjoy?

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/de...nsumer-rights/
Fruit machines

In England and Wales, if you are under 16, you can go into arcades but must not play on fruit machines giving a £10 or more cash payout.
If you are between 14-18 you can go into a pub, but you are not allowed to play on fruit machines with a cash payout of £10 or more. A sign stating that the machines are restricted to over-18s must be displayed.
There is no lower age limit for playing on fruit machines with a maximum cash or token prize of up to £8.
In Northern Ireland, there is no lower age limit for playing on fruit machines with a maximum cash prize of £8 in amusement arcades and similar premises. The maximum prize in a pub is £15 cash. There is no legal age restriction on playing fruit machines in pubs, but different premises may have different rules.