30 replies to this topic

[nails]

whilst coming back from a meeting, I popped into an arcade in West St Brighton. In fact it only has one now.

 

anyway, I put a colossal £280 between two new £100 jackpot machines and was playing money mad martians at the same time. within the last £3 it did a £100 which repeated and then £10 later did it again for a cool £400. the machine next to did  similar but was around £300 - nice profit thank you.

 

when I asked to cash up the coins he exclaimed that I was always winning and that he was fed up of `looking over his shoulder` than that I should finished my credits and leave.

 

 

 

I was bloody furious to say the least, he said nothing of the time I did £700 straight through a mega bars or the countless times ive done my bollox. I guess hes actually done me a favour and in the final hour I was able to rake some money back.  his loss.

 

In regards to the gaming commission, how on earth is gaming to be conducted in a fair and open way when scrupulous operators don't want you to win at all, let along be given a chance to get your money back ?  I though the point of these some what random machines is that you just press start and there is nothing you can do to help the outcome.

 

if I had left £5 previous, some lucky punter would have won £400 but that would have been fine?

[NickYerPesos]

Well Nails.. Clearly your Rigging them.. Or giving yourself an unfair advantage Lol 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kidding

 

That is bad news though.. I would have gone mad.

[fruitman69]

A very common outcome im afraid, as I have lost count at how many places barred me for a lucky day.

 

You would think a regular player would survive a lucky day without being barred but far too often your asked to leave and not come back.

 

And if your lucky enough to have a good hit on your first visit anywhere your almost guaranteed to be barred.

 

In most cases the staff just don't get it, and don't see it, they only see the "money out" not the "money in" and they are under the impression that machines should always win and punters should always lose so when on the odd occasion you win you must be doing something iffy! of course all the emptiers in the last few years have not helped!

 

 

I had a long conversation a few years back with a gaming board inspector (they often came to where I worked), and he said as the law stands they have the right to refuse entry to anyone without a reason, like any retail shop.

 

TBH these days playing in an arcade is really stacked against you for many reasons and its another main reason they are struggling, I for one have no sympathy for the arcades going bust they bring a lot of it on themselves, im mean look at there business model:-

 

New customer wins = bar them they obviously doing something to the machines.

Regular customer win = bar them they obviously learnt how to win, or fiddling the machines.

 

New customer loses = probably wont go back but if they do then they will only repeat so many times or until a win then see above.

Regular customer loses = probably start thinking about giving them up!

 

 

And they wonder why there closing all over  LOL

[Dougsta]

He just lost any chance to get you to lose the cash back in future. Seems like the worst possible way to run an arcade in this climate!

[banditboy2006]

everytime i play at quicksilvers on the small reflex i get the run on them they run empty they only put 40 in them and they hold 70

 

whats the point and get funny luck even if you have broke even

 

and there arcade loyailty cards are a joke as well

 

crap owners and badly trained staff are killing off the arcades

 

the only people know what they are about is the coastel arcades and mr ps

[ady]

Nails PM/Phone me about this.

[nails]

 

 

 

 

I had a long conversation a few years back with a gaming board inspector (they often came to where I worked), and he said as the law stands they have the right to refuse entry to anyone without a reason, like any retail shop.

 

 

 

i fail to see how gaming can be conducted in a fair and open way if you have been barred specifically for winning. its a clear breach of their own directive

Nails PM/Phone me about this.

will do shortly

[vectra666]

you get that with bookies like papers feeling sorry for them taking a hammering sometimes yet don,t read em saying punters take a hammering all the time personally I think all arcades are shit these days no playability all take take take 

[stevedude2]

Is that the shit-hole arcade round the corner from the Grand hotel?  Turkish owners or some other nationality?  I went in there back in October when I was at a conference and the atmosphere was horrendous.  Barely any arcades left in Brighton but they seemed desperate for me to lose, as if there was no money in the till to pay me out.  Horrible place...

[thegambler]

is that the one with the bowling, or further along.... the non bowlig one, some kid told me about an "emptier" on one of the machines I was playing.... got a double repeat jackpot and manager came over and banned us both.... and I didn't even listen to the kid, was just playinng as normal.... would probably have put the lot back in, so he did me a favour barring me.

[Bencrest]

I used to get barred from pubs (normally village ones) all the time. They used to turn the machine off when I walked in, or tell me I couldn't play it, or (as happened once) threatened to break my legs if I went on the machine again (seriously!)

I was a compulsive gambler who lost way more than I won, but they didn't seem to remember the losses. Part of the problem I suppose was that in those days I used to play 'forcable' machines, and normally play for IMs / repeaters, and most of the players - especially in the villages - were basically filling the machines up for me. Unfortunately it seems that in recent years, as the jackpots have gotten higher, there are far more 'pro' players, or people willing to travel further distances to play (not surprising with the money on offer), so around 3 years ago I reckon most machines around here became unplayable. Of course it could also just be a side-effect of the £70 jackpot, making machines utterly unplayable with a normal 'working mans' stake. I have to keep reminding myself (while I'm trying to recover from gambling addiction) that while I may not have considered the amount of money I was shoving into machines, there is nothing at all sensible about pub machines taking the equivalent of a couple of hours wages for a board, only for that board to offer less than a pint of beer in return.

 

Be better off just buying the beer and not bothering with the machines.

 

Oh, I'm going off topic. Yeah, I used to get barred from pubs all the time. Only barred from an arcade once though, and that was because I went in intentionally to get change for one of my home machines, so as I was leaving with £200 or so from coins having just used the noteys from a few Sec 16s (at the time!) to get the change, I was told I had to spend the coins in there, at which point I laughed and got told they have to pay for the change and I wasn't allowed back in. Obviously I went in next week when the boss was in and he didn't care at all, he knew I'd been going in there years and lost plenty of cash, but 'technically' I was barred.

 

You may well find that you get barred on the spur of the moment, but once they won't bothered enforcing it once they've had a chance to think about all the money you've lost in there.

[nails]

Is that the shit-hole arcade round the corner from the Grand hotel?  Turkish owners or some other nationality?  I went in there back in October when I was at a conference and the atmosphere was horrendous.  Barely any arcades left in Brighton but they seemed desperate for me to lose, as if there was no money in the till to pay me out.  Horrible place...

thats the one. actually originally from somerset!

[richy1976]

Mid to late 90's it all started going down hill.

Amusement>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Gambling.

Edited by richy1976, 15 February 2014 - 12:31 PM.

[Daryl]

I sympathise Nails, especially when you're a honest punter who is made to feel like a crook, basically for more or less just your original stake money back...

 

...it is the main sole directive for why I will only have a flutter online nowadays - to be honest I think the inland and town amusement centres are not fit for purpose to their own rules anymore.

 

The coastal arcades are heading the same way too - eventually they will be like milk bars and local cinemas... virtually extinct!

[policematrix]

Its a blessing in disguise, I have reached a point where i can walk past these places with no stress, **** those idiots, and anyone else who believes gamblers actually make a profit.

 

The Gambling Act 2005

(a) preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder or being used to support crime,

(b) ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way, and

© protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

 

Nothing about barring the winners unfortunately.

 

PS how do you force a fruity?

[jackpotjon05]

Same thing happened to me in a small arcade just down the road from Pontins in Brean Sands, Somerset.

 

I used to work there many years ago and would regularly go down there when I had some hours to kill, or on my day off.

 

We had loss days and profit days and the owner knew me quite well, so felt quite comfortable, teas, coffee offered etc.

 

Until one day, I think I took about £33 out of a £5 10p play meet the mob.

 

I asked to change it up and he told me to leave, never come back and stop moving his machines around trying to get them out and open the back doors!

 

I thought 'WHAT THE F**K'?

 

Are you seriously taking the p**s out of me or something!

 

LOL

 

I didn't get angry, I just laughed in his face, his loss and never went back ever again!

 

I have heard of some arcades use some excuses in their time, but I think this bloke must have been a bolt loose or something!

 

If you are going to kick somebody out for winning £33, at least make it sound believable!

 

Any arcade owners who read this post and does what I just posted.................

 

You should be ashamed of yourselves, shut your doors, don't bother opening if you are going to be a twat and not play fair.

 

And I hope you don't take a penny because you don't deserve it.

[stevedude2]

Same thing happened to me in a small arcade just down the road from Pontins in Brean Sands, Somerset.

 

I used to work there many years ago and would regularly go down there when I had some hours to kill, or on my day off.

 

We had loss days and profit days and the owner knew me quite well, so felt quite comfortable, teas, coffee offered etc.

 

Until one day, I think I took about £33 out of a £5 10p play meet the mob.

 

I asked to change it up and he told me to leave, never come back and stop moving his machines around trying to get them out and open the back doors!

Sunnyholt Amusements?  Towards the Leisure Park or up the other way towards the Beachcomber?

Edited by stevedude2, 16 February 2014 - 07:51 PM.

[nails]

I've been going into this arcade for the best part of 30 years. seen it through £2 token jackpot right up till today.

 

hand on heart iive never tried on anything there. all you do with a lo tech is press start (video based barcrest triple 777), yet he near as damn it accused me of chicanery. well hes done me a favor tell me to do one. im not happy with the directive that gaming should be fair and open, yet he can tell you to get out when he feels like it.

[treasure island]

The industry seems to have forgotten the old age saying....

 

The Machine is there to be beaten....

 

Why should the house always win? It shouldn't and it is part of the fun of operating an AMUSEMENT arcade....the most fundamental point and goal should be to provide people with ENTERTAINMENT and the financials should not be acknowledged unless people start going in over their heads (spending too much). As we all know, the machine is governed by a percentage payout, so it is afterall designed to make money...

 

This is the problem you get with high stake gambling (£1 play etc)....the owners do not see what is being STAKED, only what is being won (or should I say recouped).

 

I feel for you Nails, it is disgusting. Really should not be allowed. 

 

To think we actually HELP people win in our arcade (skills, codes etc).....we are either bonkers or the only people who actually want to deliver entertainment and not deter from the Amusement in AWP.

 

It is the greedy operators (I call them money men) that has put the industry onto the brink of collapse.

 

Take the new £100 Jackpot....its a recession...people are SKINT....ok....lets increase the odds of winning the jackpot by stretching the game to 100-1 (assuming of course you play £1 a game).

 

Bizarre world we live in...

[nails]

as soon as I asked for the money to be collected (as I wanted £700 in notes) he told me that £100 program had only be uploaded to it that morning and the fact that it paid out clearly demonstrated that I had done something to the machine. with that he opened the machine to examine the noted inside.

 

ignoring my request I collected both machines, weighing down my pockets, and left with £700 in coins.