View source for Claw machine

{{short description|Type of arcade game}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Claw game|Claw (video game)}}
{{Globalize|1=article|date=December 2025}}
[[File:Claw crane in Ustroń, Poland 2017.jpg|thumb|A claw machine in [[Ustroń]], Poland]]

A '''claw machine''' is a type of [[arcade game]]. Modern claw machines are upright cabinets with glass boxes that are lit from the inside and have a joystick-controlled claw at the top, which is coin-operated and positioned over a pile of prizes, dropped into the pile, and picked up to unload the prize or lack thereof into a chute.<ref name="atlobs">{{cite web |last1=Lin |first1=Kat |title=Taiwan Is in the Clutches of a Claw Machine Craze |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/taiwanese-claw-machines |website=[[Atlas Obscura]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=17 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="mf">{{cite web |last1=Rossen |first1=Jake |title=Dime After Dime: A Gripping History of Claw Machines |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/82524/dime-after-dime-gripping-history-claw-machines |website=Mental Floss |access-date=2 May 2023 |date=7 July 2016}}</ref> They typically contain [[stuffed toy]]s or other cheap prizes, and sometimes contain more expensive items like electronic devices and fashion accessories.<ref name="n24" /><ref name="scmp" /> Claw machines are also known as '''skill cranes''', '''claw cranes''', '''crane games''', '''teddy pickers''', and are known as '''UFO catchers''' in Japan due to the claws' resemblance to [[UFO]]s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kubersky |first1=Seth |title=Video: Brian Feldman's "Skill Crane Kid" at Stardust Video and Coffee |url=https://www.orlandoweekly.com/arts/video-brian-feldmans-skill-crane-kid-at-stardust-video-and-coffee-2265672 |website=[[Orlando Weekly]] |access-date=6 May 2023 |date=8 February 2011}}</ref><ref name="kotakuaus">{{cite web |last1=Kubersky |first1=Seth |title=Lazy People Can Play Real Arcade And Win Real Prizes In Real Time |url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/11/lazy-people-can-play-real-arcade-and-win-real-prizes-in-real-time/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511015021/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/11/lazy-people-can-play-real-arcade-and-win-real-prizes-in-real-time/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 11, 2023 |website=[[Kotaku|Kotaku Australia]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=29 November 2012}}</ref><ref name="usnwr" />

The earliest claw machines are believed to have been created in the late 19th century and inspired by the machines used to build the [[Panama Canal]], while the first patented claw machine, the Erie Digger, was inspired by the creation of the [[Erie Canal]] and invented in 1926. It and its successor, the Miami Digger, were popular throughout the United States during the 1930s, specifically during the [[Great Depression]], as carnival attractions and as furniture in public places. By the 1980s, claw machines were ubiquitous in both the United States and Japan; the success of [[Sega]]'s ''UFO Catcher'' machines in the 1980s and 1990s inspired a claw machine craze in the latter country. Claw machines have made appearances in numerous video games, music videos, films, and television shows since at least the 1990s.

In the late 2010s, claw machines became immensely popular in South Korea and Taiwan as cheap entertainment due to their slowing economies at the time, with the number of claw machine arcades in both places rising into the thousands. Also in the 2010s, claw machines that could be remotely controlled via mobile applications or websites began turning up online.

Claw machines are often rigged to modify the claw's strength on each turn, and are consequently considered [[gambling]] devices in some jurisdictions.

==Early history==
[[File:Erie Digger ad illustration.png|thumb|Illustration of an Erie Digger in a 1927 issue of ''[[Billboard (magazine)|The Billboard]]'']]

Claw machines are believed to have originated in the United States in the 1890s, when they were made to resemble the machines that built the [[Panama Canal]].<ref name="usnwr">{{cite web |last1=Yoon |first1=Dasl |title=Grasping for Hope |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2017-09-29/south-koreas-claw-arcades-explode-in-popularity |website=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |access-date=8 May 2023 |date=29 September 2017}}</ref> The first patented claw machine, the Erie Digger, was a glass box containing candy and other small objects, a chute, and a coin-operated miniature steam shovel that moved in an arc, could be moved with a handle, and could be lifted and dropped into the chute using a hand crank.<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Commonwealth v. Ward |vol=281 |reporter=Mass. 119 |opinion=183 |pinpoint=N.E. 271 |court=Mass. |date=1932 |url=https://casetext.com/case/commonwealth-v-ward-5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503125039/https://casetext.com/case/commonwealth-v-ward-5|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 3, 2023}}</ref> It was invented in 1926, manufactured by the Erie Manufacturing Company, and named after the construction of the [[Erie Canal]]. It found success at carnivals, partially because it did not require electricity like other carnival attractions. Throughout the 1930s, it saw use as furniture in train stations, hotels, drugstores, cigar stores, and bus stations, where it was used to keep customers entertained.<ref name="mf" /> During the [[Great Depression]], designing intricate, [[Art Deco]] claw machines for hotels and stores became a lucrative endeavor.<ref name="phoenix" /> 

The Miami Digger, invented by American carnival operator William Bartlett of Miami and patented by him in 1932, improved upon the design of the Erie Digger by using an electric motor and allowing the crane to move around the entire box.<ref name="phoenix">{{cite web |last1=Ernest |first1=Alec |title=The secret history of the claw machine - Lifestyle Features |url=https://thephoenix.com/boston/life/121907-secret-history-of-the-claw-machine/ |website=[[The Phoenix (newspaper)|The Boston Phoenix]] |access-date=2 May 2023 |date=10 June 2011}}</ref> It was also known as the Nickel Digger, as it contained money, such as [[Nickel (United States coin)|nickels]] and [[Dollar coin (United States)|silver dollars]], as prizes; premium versions of the diggers had watches and cigarette lighters as prizes for adults. At the peak of his success, Bartlett had over 40,000 claw machines in the field. He became rich from the popularity of the machines, eventually dying in 1948.<ref name="mf" />

==Global popularity==
===Asia===

==== Japan ====
[[File:Claw cranes with kawaii stuffed mascots and a woman playing, Akihabara, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.jpg|thumb|left|A row of UFO catchers in [[Akihabara]], [[Tokyo]], 2019]]

Japanese companies [[Sega]] and [[Taito]] began designing trolley-style claw machines in the 1960s.<ref name="mf" /> They gained popularity in Japan during the late 1970s, with crane games ranking among Japan's top ten highest-grossing [[Electro-mechanical game|electro-mechanical]] (EM) [[1977 in video games|arcade games of 1977]] and [[1978 in video games|1978]].<ref name="GM90">{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:結果ベスト3|trans-title=Best 3 Results |magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=90|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=15 February 1978|pages=2–3|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19780215p.pdf#page=2}}</ref><ref name="GM113">{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:人気マシン・ベスト3|trans-title=Popular Machines: Best 3 |magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=113|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=February 1979|pages=2–3|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19790201p.pdf#page=2}}</ref> Sega released their ''UFO Catcher'' claw machine in 1985 and made their first shipment of it in 1986.<ref>{{cite web |title=UFO Catcher |url=https://sega.jp/history/arcade/product/9370/ |website=[[Sega]] |access-date=18 May 2021 |language=ja}}</ref> It had sold 10,000 cabinets by 1991, its popularity inspiring Sega's creation of the ''Dream Catcher'' in 1989 and the ''New UFO Catcher'' in 1991 while making the ''UFO Catcher'' series responsible for 90 percent of stuffed toy claw machine sales.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Sega's 'Hologram' Game ls Coming To Japan|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|first=Masumi|last=Akagi|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|issue=|date=1 September 1991|page=26|url=https://archive.org/details/game-machine-magazine-19910901p/page/n13/mode/1up}}</ref> By 1994, its claw could be changed to fit the sizes and shapes of different prizes, and it had become a craze across Japan: arcades started dedicating entire floors to ''UFO Catcher'' cabinets—of which Sega had sold over 40,000, making it Sega's best-selling game at the time—and the term "UFO catcher" became synonymous with crane games in Japan.<ref>{{cite book |title=Sega '94 Amusement Machine Guide |date=1994 |publisher=Sega |page=12 |url=https://archive.org/details/sega-94-amusement-machine-guide/page/n12/mode/1up}}</ref><ref name="vgce">{{Cite magazine|title=Win Big With UFO Catcher|magazine=[[VideoGames & Computer Entertainment|VideoGames]]|last=Nakamura|first=Eric|publisher=[[Larry Flynt Publications|LFP, Inc.]]|issue=66|date=July 1994|page=92|issn=1059-2938|url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_The_Ultimate_Gaming_Magazine_Issue_66_July_1994/page/n91/mode/1up}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|title=OutRun|magazine=[[Mean Machines Sega]]|last=Swan|first=Gus|publisher=EMAP|issue=22|date=August 1994|pages=92–3|issn=0967-9014|url=https://archive.org/details/mean-machines-sega-magazine-22/page/n91/mode/2up}}</ref>

Sega Shinjuku Kabukicho, a two-story Sega arcade in [[Shinjuku]], [[Tokyo]] containing 477 claw machines, received the [[Guinness World Record]] for having the most claw machines in a single venue in 2021, a record previously held by the Taito Station in [[Fuchū, Tokyo]] for having 454 machines.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hooper |first1=Ben |title=Japanese arcade gets Guinness record for most claw crane machines - UPI.com |url=https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/01/21/Japanese-arcade-gets-Guinness-record-for-most-claw-crane-machines/4341611252065/ |website=[[United Press International]] |access-date=6 May 2023 |date=21 January 2021}}</ref> {{As of|2023}}, Yuka Nakajima of Japan holds the Guinness World Record for being the most successful claw machine player due to winning more than 3,500 [[Rilakkuma]] [[teddy bear]]s from claw machines.<ref>{{cite web |title=Most successful claw game player |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-successful-claw-game-player |via=[[Guinness World Records]] |access-date=6 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ashcraft |first1=Brian |last2=Snow |first2=Jean |title=Arcade Mania!: The Turbo-Charged World of Japan's Game Centers |chapter=Chapter 1: Crane Games |chapter-url=https://metropolisjapan.com/game-on-2/ |date=2008 |publisher=[[Kodansha|Kodansha International]] |location=Tokyo |isbn=978-4770030788 |edition=1st}}</ref> In 2021, claw machines accounted for more than half of the revenue at Japanese arcades, according to the [[Japan Amusement Machine and Marketing Association|Japan Amusement Industry Association]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Virus threatens 'game over' for Japan's arcades |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210210-virus-threatens-game-over-for-japan-s-arcades |website=[[France 24]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=10 February 2021}}</ref> Japanese claw machines can also contain cakes as prizes.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Feit |first1=Daniel |title=Japan's New 'UFO Catcher' Prize: Fresh-Baked Cakes |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/11/sweets-crane/ |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=11 November 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=McNaught |first1=Shannon |title=Japanese crane game serves up actual slices of cake |url=https://japantoday.com/category/features/food/japanese-crane-game-serves-up-actual-slices-of-cake |website=[[Japan Today]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=13 December 2019}}</ref>

==== South Korea ====
The number of claw machine arcades and the popularity of claw machines both experienced a sharp increase in South Korea in 2016 and 2017, specifically in [[Seoul]] neighborhoods with universities like [[Hongdae (area)|Hongdae]] and [[Sinchon]]. From 2015 to 2017, the number of South Korean claw arcades increased from 20 to 1,900, while mentions of claw machines on Korean social networks also increased during that time. ''[[Korea JoongAng Daily]]'' and ''[[The Korea Herald]]'' attributed the increased interest to South Korea's harsh economy at the time leading to a desire for cheap entertainment, while ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' associated it with the country's increasing youth unemployment.<ref name="korherald">{{cite web |title=Slowing economy lures young Koreans to claw machines |url=https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170203000121 |website=[[The Korea Herald]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=3 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="usnwr" /><ref name="kjd" />

==== Taiwan ====
[[File:A Claw Crane Shop on Shuitian St. in Hsinchu City.jpg|thumb|A claw machine arcade in [[Hsinchu]], Taiwan]]

In Taiwan, where claw machine arcades are usually open all day and owners sublet their machines to different operators, claw machines became especially popular as inexpensive entertainment starting in 2017, due to their costing [[New Taiwan dollar|NT$]]10 to use. The number of claw machine arcades in Taiwan increased from 920 in 2016 to 3,353 in 2018 and, {{As of|lc=y|2019}}, there are more than 10,000.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Yang |first1=Sophia |last2=Everington |first2=Keoni |title=Taiwan claw crane craze |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3631880 |website=[[Taiwan News]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=4 February 2019}}</ref> A 2018 survey of children aged seven to 18 reported 32.7 percent of them using claw machines one to three days a week and over four percent using them every day.<ref name="tptimes">{{cite web |last1=Maxon |first1=Ann |title=Survey shows claw machine issues |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2018/06/27/2003695631 |website=[[Taipei Times]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=27 June 2018}}</ref> The [[Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan)|Central Bank of the Republic of China]] increased their budget in 2019 to produce more NT$10 coins to accommodate the increasing popularity of claw machines in Taiwan. By 2018, the average monthly revenue for operating a claw machine was around NT$5,000.<ref name="scmp">{{cite web |last1=Chang |first1=Sean |title=Time for a lucky dip: claw crane game craze takes off in Taiwan |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2177851/taiwans-claw-crane-game-craze-leaves-players-and-shop |website=[[South China Morning Post]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=14 December 2018}}</ref>

==== China ====
The largest claw machine arcade in China, LJJ Station in [[Beijing]], has more than 60 machines with stuffed toy versions of characters from [[WeChat]] animations.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Li |first1=Lea |title=The Claw! China's 'biggest' crane game centre |url=https://www.scmp.com/video/scmp-originals/3019087/chinas-biggest-crane-game-centre-gets-customers-digging-out-plush |website=[[South China Morning Post]] |access-date=6 May 2023 |date=18 July 2019}}</ref> Before 2020, claw machines were popular in Thai shopping malls; a 2020 survey conducted by the advocacy group No Gambling Youth Club stated that 75 of the 92 shopping malls surveyed contained 1,300 claw machines collectively.<ref name="khaosod" /><ref name="bkokpost" />

==== Philippines ====
[[File:World-largest-claw-machine.jpg|thumb|Kuya Magik with the worlds largest claw machine - ClawKing]]Cebu City now holds the record of having the world's largest claw machine, Claw King.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Cebu City records world's largest claw machine |url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/7/22/cebu-city-records-world-s-largest-claw-machine-0923}}</ref> 

The world's largest claw machine, according to Guinness World Records, is 49.90 m³ (1,761 ft³) and was achieved by PlayFair an arcade located at TOPS landmark in Cebu City, Philippines.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-22 |title=Look: Philippines arcade installs world's largest claw machine |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/look-philippines-arcade-installs-worlds-160126094.html |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-US}}</ref> 

The massive claw machine was officially measured by a construction firm for Guinness World Records consideration, on 5 July 2025. Built by Kuya Magik, The "Claw King" is 3.88 metres tall, 2.47 metres wide, and an huge 5.22 metres long. PlayFair added the machine to celebrate their arcade's mission of blending local "Perya" culture with modern entertainment and to put Cebu city on the global map.<ref>Guinness World Records. (2025). In Largest claw machine. Retrieved July 21, 2025, from https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/98581-largest-claw-machine</ref>

===United States===
[[File:GIRL TRIES TO PICK UP PRIZE WITH A MINIATURE CRANE AT "FUN CITY" RECENTLY OPENED ESTABLISHMENT ON "THE STRIP." "THE... - NARA - 551294.jpg|thumb|left|A girl using a claw machine at the [[Lake of the Ozarks State Park]] in [[Missouri]], U.S., 1973]]

In the United States, claw machines became ubiquitous in the 1980s.<ref name="mf" /> They are common at carnivals, grocery stores, shopping malls, arcades, amusement parks, and bowling alleys.<ref name="today">{{cite web |last1=Rossen |first1=Jeff |last2=Bomnin |first2=Lindsey |title=Claw machine secrets revealed: Are they rigged? |url=https://www.today.com/money/claw-machine-secrets-revealed-are-they-rigged-t100351 |website=[[Today (American TV program)|Today]] |access-date=1 May 2023 |date=13 July 2016}}</ref><ref name="vox">{{cite web |last1=Edwards |first1=Phil |title=Claw machines are rigged — here's why it's so hard to grab that stuffed animal |url=https://www.vox.com/2015/4/3/8339999/claw-machines-rigged |website=[[Vox Media|Vox]] |access-date=1 May 2023 |date=3 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="kidskeep" />

The term "Clawcade" is used in the USA to refer to arcades that exclusively feature claw machines and prize-winning games.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fravel |first1=Caleb |title=Clawcades: The new Japanese-style arcade sweeping the Twin Cities |url=https://www.startribune.com/clawcades-the-new-japanese-style-arcade-sweeping-the-twin-cities/601177879 |access-date=11 March 2025 |work=www.startribune.com |date=8 November 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Kyle |title=New Japanese-style 'clawcades' are gripping the metro |url=https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/new-japanese-style-clawcades-are-gripping-the-metro/ |access-date=11 March 2025 |work=KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News |date=8 January 2025}}</ref>  In 2023, Claw World, a 2,400 square foot clawcade opened to the public in Las Vegas. 

There were many instances of children getting stuck inside of claw machines in the United States throughout the 2010s, including in Tennessee, New York, Kentucky, Nebraska, Pennsylvania,<ref name="kidskeep">{{cite web |last1=Kim |first1=Susanna |title=Why Kids Keep Getting Stuck in Claw Toy Machines |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/kids-stuck-claw-toy-machines/story?id=26381639 |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=6 May 2023 |date=22 October 2014}}</ref> North Carolina,<ref>{{cite web |title=Boy trapped inside claw machine after climbing in to get prize at North Carolina amusement park |url=https://www.today.com/news/boy-trapped-claw-machine-north-caroline-amusement-park-rcna80189 |website=[[Today (American TV program)|Today]] |access-date=6 May 2023 |date=18 April 2023}}</ref> and Texas.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hawatmeh |first1=Rachel |title=Girl Gets Trapped Inside a Claw Machine After a Double Dog Dare |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/girl-trapped-inside-claw-machine-double-dog-dare/story?id=33663205 |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=6 May 2023 |date=10 September 2015}}</ref>

===Online and popular culture===
Online claw machines are claw machines controlled remotely online, with prizes that get shipped to users' homes upon being won.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Serrano |first1=Jody |title=Play IRL Arcade Claw Games in Japan With Google's New Apps |url=https://gizmodo.com/google-crane-game-apps-japan-1848764824 |website=[[Gizmodo]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=7 April 2022}}</ref> Since the 2010s, mobile apps, such as ''[[Clawee]]'' in Israel, ''ClawCrazy'' in the United States and ''Sega Catcher Online'' in Japan, and websites, such as ''Netch'' in Japan and the ''Santa Claw'' in the United States, have allowed users to remotely use claw machines stored in warehouses in their respective countries.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Melendez |first1=Steven |title=Now you can remote-control a real claw game from your smartphone |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90686760/clawee-claw-game |website=[[Fast Company]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=20 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Good |first1=Owen S. |title=Sega app lets you play a real claw game in Japan remotely, win prizes |url=https://www.polygon.com/mobile/2020/1/23/21079145/sega-catcher-online-claw-game-japan-iphone-android-ufo-catcher |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=23 January 2020}}</ref><ref name="kotakuaus" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Chapman |first1=Paul |title=Internet-Operated Claw Machines Invade Japanese Arcades |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/02/17-1/internet-operated-claw-machines-invade-japanese-arcades |via=[[Crunchyroll]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=17 February 2015}}</ref>

The 1993 [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES) video game ''[[Kirby's Adventure]]'' includes a minigame based on the ''UFO Catcher'', while the 1998 [[PlayStation]] game ''[[Bomberman World]]'' has a UFO catcher-themed battle stage.<ref name="vgce" /><ref>{{cite magazine|title=PlayStation Previews|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=101|publisher=EGM Media, LLC|date=December 1997|page=108|url=https://archive.org/details/electronic-gaming-monthly-issue-101-december-1997_202212/page/n118/}}</ref> Sega's 2005 video game ''[[Yakuza (video game)|Yakuza]]'', its prequel, ''[[Yakuza 0]]'', and its remake, ''[[Yakuza Kiwami]]'', also feature ''UFO Catcher'' machines.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Playmania|issue=58|publisher=Grupo V|date=|title=Misiones Secundarias|page=18|lang=es|url=https://archive.org/details/Playmania_093_Guia/page/n9/mode/1up}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=McGreevy |first1=Neil |title=Yakuza 0: Mafia mullarkey in gloriously absurd world of Japanese pop-culture |url=https://www.irishnews.com/arts/2017/02/10/news/yakuza-0-mafia-mullarkey-in-gloriously-absurd-world-of-japanese-pop-culture-921635/ |website=[[The Irish News]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=10 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Altano |first1=Brian |last2=Scoville |first2=Max |title=Yakuza Kiwami Has Sexy Bug-Fights and Claw Machines |url=https://www.ign.com/videos/yakuza-kiwami-has-sexy-bug-fights-and-claw-machines |website=[[IGN]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=18 September 2017}}</ref> The 2019 video game ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019 video game)| Link's Awakening]]'' includes a claw machine as a side activity.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Plagge |first1=Kallie |title=The Claw Machine In Zelda: Link's Awakening Is Kind Of Evil |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-claw-machine-in-zelda-links-awakening-is-kind-/1100-6469993/ |website=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=23 September 2019}}</ref> In the 1995 film ''[[Toy Story]]'', [[Buzz Lightyear]] and [[Sheriff Woody]] climb into a claw vending machine filled with [[List of Toy Story characters#Aliens / Little Green Men|claw-worshipping aliens]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Every Reference in Toy Story |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/video/watch/every-reference-in-toy-story |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazines)|Vanity Fair]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=19 June 2019}}</ref> In the ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' episode "Skill Crane" from its [[SpongeBob SquarePants (season 4)|fourth season]], [[Squidward Tentacles|Squidward]] becomes addicted to trying to win a prize from a claw machine.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Whitney |first1=Oliver |title=SpongeBob SquarePants' 100 Best Episodes Ranked |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/features/spongebob-squarepants-best-episodes-ranking/ |website=[[TV Guide]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=17 July 2019}}</ref> Claw machines have also been featured in the music videos for [[Delta Heavy]]'s 2019 song "Take Me Home", [[George Fisher (musician)|Corpsegrinder]]'s 2022 song "Bottom Dweller", and the [[City Girls]]' 2022 song "Good Love".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kennelty |first1=Greg |title=Corpsegrinder's New "Bottom Dweller" Video Is Strangely Adorable |url=https://metalinjection.net/video/corpsegrinders-new-bottom-dweller-video-is-strangely-adorable |website=Metal Injection |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=7 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Bein |first1=Kat |title=Delta Heavy's 'Take Me Home' Video Is an Animated Toy Love Story: Exclusive |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/delta-heavy-take-me-home-video-8544268/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=20 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Guy |first1=Zoe |title=City Girls and Usher Invite Us to Cascade and the Cookout |url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/07/usher-city-girls-good-love-music-video.html |website=[[New York (magazine)#Vulture|Vulture]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=1 July 2022}}</ref>

==Legality==
===North America===
The passing of the Johnson Act by [[United States Congress|Congress]] in 1951, which prohibited the transfer of electronic gambling devices across state lines, led to Miami Diggers at carnivals being destroyed by operators or seized by government officials. Carnival owner Lee Moss organized other carnival owners together to protest against the classification of the diggers as gambling machines. Because of this, a compromise was soon reached that allowed carnival owners to keep the diggers but required them to be manually operated with no coin slot and prizes that were not money and worth one dollar or less, while the government would tax each machine [[United States dollar|US$]]10. {{Clarify|date=November 2025|reason=the source does not clearly and directly support this claim, and I suspect that it is technically inaccurate; perhaps the agency deprioritized enforcement, but this would need to be clarified|text=Regulations loosened in 1973 due to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) abandoning the Johnson Act}}.<ref name="mf" /> {{As of|2015}}, state regulations generally require that claw machines contain less valuable prizes.<ref name="vox" /> Most states exempt claw machines from their gambling laws.<ref name="wagm">{{cite web |title=Should arcade claw machines be regulated like gambling? |url=https://www.wagmtv.com/content/news/Should-arcade-claw-machines-be-regulated-like-gambling-390591971.html |website=[[WAGM-TV]] |access-date=7 May 2023 |date=18 August 2016}}</ref>

In response to a spate of lawsuits against California claw game operators, attorney Bob Snyder advised claw machine owners to avoid using the word "skill" in the game description decal present on most machines.<ref name='lawsuits'>{{Cite web | url=http://www.aemllc.com/articles/legislative/skillcraneoperators/skillcraneoperators.php | title=Skill Crane Operators Can Defend Against 'Unfair Practices' Lawsuits | first=Bob | last=Snyder | access-date=2008-07-04 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511092241/http://www.aemllc.com/articles/legislative/skillcraneoperators/skillcraneoperators.php | archive-date=2009-05-11 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

In New Jersey, claw machines are regulated by the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission. In 2016, New Jersey Senator [[Nicholas Scutari]] proposed legislation that would add specifications to prevent claw machines from being unwinnable.<ref name="wagm" />

In other jurisdictions, such as [[Alberta]], Canada, skill cranes are illegal unless the player is allowed to make repeated attempts (on a single credit) until he or she wins a prize.<ref name='alberta-law'>{{Cite news |title=Mere 'dash of skill' makes crane game illegal: court |date=January 29, 2002 |work=National Post |page=A1, 10 |url=http://www.abgaminginstitute.ualberta.ca/nav03.cfm?nav03=26638&nav02=29476&nav01=26038 |access-date=July 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070810184113/http://www.abgaminginstitute.ualberta.ca/nav03.cfm?nav03=26638&nav02=29476&nav01=26038 |archive-date=August 10, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Skill cranes in single-play mode (where the player has only one chance per credit to try for a prize) were found by the [[Ontario]] [[Appellate court|Court of Appeal]] to be essentially games of chance, and therefore prohibited except at [[fair]]s or [[art exhibition|exhibitions]], where they are covered by an exemption.<ref name='ontario-law'>{{Cite journal | last1 = Lipton | first1 = Michael D. | last2 = Lazarus | first2 = Morden C. | last3 = Weber | first3 = Kevin J. | title = Games of Skill and Chance in Canada | doi = 10.1089/glr.2005.9.10 | journal = Gaming Law Review | volume = 9 | pages = 10–18 | year = 2005 }}</ref>

===Asia===
Claw machines were outlawed in Thailand after being classified as gambling devices by the [[Supreme Court of Thailand]] in 2004, though, until 2019, laws prohibiting their use were rarely enforced.<ref name="khaosod">{{cite web |last1=Boonbandit |first1=Tappanai |title=Decade-Old Ban on Claw Machines |url=https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2019/06/26/decade-old-ban-on-claw-machines-finally-enforced/ |website=[[Khaosod|Khaosod English]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=26 June 2019}}</ref> In 2020, the [[Ministry of Interior (Thailand)|Ministry of Interior]] in Thailand ordered a nationwide ban on claw machines after activists protested against their widespread availability.<ref name="bkokpost">{{cite news |title=Interior ministry orders ban on 'claw crane' machines nationwide |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1863574/interior-ministry-orders-ban-on-claw-crane-machines-nationwide |website=[[Bangkok Post]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=23 February 2020}}</ref> However, the public prosecutor of [[Chiang Mai]] ruled in 2022 that claw machines were vending machines rather than gambling machines and were therefore legal.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chiang Mai rules 'crane-claw' machines are legal, 2 years after govt ban |url=https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012857 |website=[[The Nation (Thailand)|The Nation]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=27 February 2022}}</ref> South Korean law dictates that claw machines cannot carry prizes worth over [[South Korean won|₩]]5,000 to prevent addiction. An investigation by South Korea's [[Game Rating and Administration Committee]] in 2017 found that the majority of claw machines they randomly inspected broke Korean law.<ref name="kjd">{{cite web |last1=Min-ji |first1=Jin |title=Claw machines offer low cost, high reward thrill : As the arcade game makes a return, many question its longevity |url=https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2017/01/10/features/Claw-machines-offer-low-cost-high-reward-thrill-As-the-arcade-game-makes-a-return-many-question-its-longevity/3028513.html |website=[[Korea JoongAng Daily]] |access-date=8 May 2023 |date=10 January 2017}}</ref> The [[Consumer Protection Committee]] of the [[Executive Yuan]] stated in 2019 that their investigation of claw machines in [[Taoyuan, Taiwan|Taoyuan]], [[New Taipei City]], [[Kaohsiung]], [[Taipei City]], [[Tainan]], and [[Taichung]] found that 70 percent of them contained illegal adult products such as vibrators and e-cigarettes.<ref name="tnews">{{cite web |last1=Everington |first1=Keoni |title=70% of claw machine stores surveyed in major Taiwanese cities are illegal |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3673239 |website=[[Taiwan News]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=4 April 2019}}</ref> In 2021, the [[Ministry of Home Affairs (Singapore)|Ministry of Home Affairs]] in Singapore proposed capping the value of prizes in claw machines at [[Singapore dollar|S$]]100 in order to, according to them, "address the inducement effect of high-value prizes, without increasing the regulatory burden on operators".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Meah |first1=Natasha |title=Laws to regulate claw machines, arcade games and loot boxes mooted as MHA looks to update gambling rules |url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/laws-regulate-claw-machines-arcade-games-loot-boxes-mooted-mha-looks-update-gambling-rules |website=[[Today (Singapore newspaper)|Today]] |access-date=7 May 2023 |date=12 July 2021}}</ref> In March 2024, [[Brunei]] has banned claw machines as they have been deemed ''[[haram]]'' due to its gambling elements.<ref>{{cite web |author=Rokiah Mahmud |title=Brunei bans claw machines |url=https://borneobulletin.com.bn/brunei-bans-claw-machines/ |website=[[Borneo Bulletin]] |access-date=10 March 2024 |date=10 March 2024}}</ref>

==Chances of winning==
[[File:Elaut E-Claw in Pier Amusements 20180804.jpg|thumb|A pair of E-Claw, claw machines created by Belgian manufacturer Elaut]]

Since the 1920s, advertising for claw machines has suggested that they are able to be won completely through strategy and skill. Claw machines can be set to give players a chance of winning during every paid turn if they use a "Play Till Win" setting.<ref name="n24">{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Andrew |title=Most claw machines in SA arcades can be rigged – and manuals show winning isn't about player skill |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/tech-and-trends/claw-machines-in-south-africa-rigged-2023-2 |website=[[News24 (website)|News24]] |access-date=1 May 2023 |date=6 February 2023}}</ref> Settings like claw strength—which is controlled by the amount of voltage sent to a claw—and "dropping skill"—the ability of a claw to drop a prize back into the machine after picking it up—are frequently modified by arcade owners to control the odds of a player winning and are often based on how much money the machine has earned.<ref name="vox" /> Claw machine strength-control has been reported in the United States, South Africa, South Korea, and Singapore.<ref name="today" /><ref name="n24" /><ref name="kjd" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ewe |first1=Koh |title=Arcade Experts Tell Us Why We Never Win Toys in Claw Machines |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/arcade-experts-explain-how-claw-machine-works/ |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |access-date=12 May 2023 |date=21 April 2021}}</ref>

On social media platforms such as [[TikTok]] and [[YouTube]], videos of people using claw machines and offering modifications for how to get prizes from them were popular in the 2010s and 2020s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Did a TikToker tell the world how to win a prize in claw machine games? |url=https://www.jpost.com/omg/article-716924 |website=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |access-date=8 May 2023 |date=12 September 2022}}</ref><ref name="n24" /> A 2015 report by ''[[Vox Media|Vox]]''{{'}}s Phil Edwards describing how claw machines were often rigged went viral online and became controversial among claw machine enthusiasts.<ref name="npr">{{Cite episode |title=Conspiracy Of The Claw: Inside The Long Odds Of An Arcade Favorite |url=https://www.npr.org/2015/09/05/437873846/conspiracy-of-the-claw-inside-the-long-odds-of-an-arcade-favorite |access-date=2 May 2023 |series=All Things Considered |series-link=All Things Considered |first=Arun |last=Rath |network=[[NPR]] |station= |date=5 September 2015}}</ref> A 2016 report by [[Jeff Rossen]] for the American TV program ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' showing the same thing prompted the [[American Amusement Machine Association]], which represents arcade game manufacturers across the United States, to make their members sign a "Fair Play Pledge" in 2017 that required their machines to be winnable through skill alone.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Orland |first1=Kyle |title=Arcade group promises ticket and claw games will no longer be "rigged" |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/05/arcade-group-promises-ticket-and-claw-games-will-no-longer-be-rigged/ |website=[[Ars Technica]] |access-date=April 28, 2023 |date=May 6, 2017}}</ref> The 2021 book ''How to Beat the Claw Machine: Tips and Tricks to Help You Win Big'', written by American arcade owner Brian McKanna, offers tips on how to win prizes at claw machines, which he described as "absolutely rigged".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Millitzer |first1=Joe |title=St. Louis man writes the book on how to beat arcade claw machines |url=https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/st-louis-man-writes-the-book-on-how-to-beat-claw-machines-in-arcades/ |website=[[KTVI]] |access-date=28 April 2023 |date=13 December 2021}}</ref>

According to a 2023 report by [[News24 (website)|News24]], most claw machines in South Africa are rigged to only allow players to win if the machine has earned a certain amount of money.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Le Roux |first1=Cornelia |title=It's a 'fluffing' rip-off! Claw machines in SA arcades CAN be rigged |url=https://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/claw-machines-south-africa-arcade-games-sa-owners-rigging-how-scam-6-february-2023/ |website=[[The South African]] |access-date=1 May 2023 |date=6 February 2023}}</ref> A manual for the Intelligrab operating system, made by Belgian manufacturer Elaut, encourages claw machine owners to create the illusion that the player has a chance of winning if they keep trying, and owners can adjust machines' claw strength per turn.<ref name="n24" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Claw Vending Machine}}
[[Category:Arcade games]]
[[Category:Gaming devices]]
[[Category:Merchandisers]]
[[Category:Redemption games]]