how do gripper machines work?

Fairgrounds promise to win prizes worth a few tens or several thousand euros. Among the thousands of players, those who win the jackpot are rare. One of the most popular games is the claw machine: with a joystick, the visitor must direct a claw to catch a prize. “For 16 games, we desperately tried to have a plush (…) we’re going to give up”says a woman.

In discreet camera, the journalists try the experiment in a fair, without success. When questioned, the operator of the machine affirms that there are winners. But the machine is actually rigged. In the UK, a gripper machine manufacturer explains how it works. “You can tell the machine how often the player can win, so it’s not really a game of skill”, he says. In France, there is no legislation on the installation and use of gripper machines.