Claw machines are made to seem that they are a game of skill. The thinking is that if you have a steady hand and press the buttons in a timely manner, you can get a prize. But, as it turns out, it is a pure game of chance.
TikToker Katie Clark recently purchased a claw machine to put it in her bar. While inspecting the machine, she found a manual inside.
“I just discovered something that I guess confirms a lot of people’s thoughts on these elusive machines,” Clark says in a viral video posted on her social media.
As it turns out, the manual contains instructions for owners to determine the “win rate” for the machine. For example, the claw machine can be adjusted from “TO WIN 1 OUT OF 1 TIME” all the way to “TO WIN 1 OUT OF 50 TIMES.”
Clark later shared a follow-up video in which she showed other ways in which the claw machine can be “rigged”, including adjusting the strength of the claw.
There you have it. If you are feeling lucky, give it a go next time you visit an arcade. But don’t think you can beat it with pure skill.
