In the arcade, you get exactly 0% of your money back. You may get a prize though. It is the thing that makes it not gambling. In a casino, there is the risk of

In the arcade, you get exactly 0% of your money back. You may get a prize though. It is the thing that makes it not gambling. In a casino, there is the risk of spending more than your disposable income, hoping to get your money back. In an arcade, you know that once the money is in the machine, it is gone, less chance to overspend. The main point of anti-gambling laws is to prevent addicts from ruining themselves, not to prevent you from spending some money to have fun at the casino, and not to save your disposable income. The line is blurred when the prize has resale value, and in fact, a common way to disguise gambling is for the machine to give out prizes that the shop next door conveniently buys for a good price.