Licences 'right game plan for claw, pinball machines'

Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak on Saturday said a government plan to require claw and pinball machine operators to obtain licences will benefit both consumers and operators. Under the proposal, any gaming device that involves prizes, odds, and potential addiction risks must obtain an individual Amusements with Prizes Licence (AWPL). Mak said on an RTHK radio programme that Hong Kong currently has 2,000 claw machines and hundreds of pinball machines that are yet to be licensed. “For the pinball machines, currently, we estimate that there are about 200 operators in the market,” she said. "Right now, three operators have already applied for the AWPL, and we are processing several, quite a number of applications now. “We believe that with our review, more pinball machine operators will apply for this AWPL so that they can operate and run in a regulated environment and to protect the interests of the consumers.” As for claw machines, Mak said under the plan, managers of arcades with such coin-operated machines are responsible for obtaining AWPLs before renting them out. She noted that many arcades with claw machines are unstaffed, describing this as “not ideal” because consumers are unable to file a complaint if a machine is faulty. All licence holders have to put up addiction warnings and their contact information on the machines, she stressed. Mak also pointed out that claw machines are addictive, citing the Ping Wo Fund, which helps people with gambling issues, as having received requests for assistance by people fighting an obsession with the game. Edited by Robert Kemp