The joyous music, the dingling beads, the winning screams... Consumer reporters visited and found that a gaming device called a “baller” had been set up in a number of malls and video games。
The beading machine is very attractive to children: it falls into a light channel and can win a multiple of beads; a single game wins enough beads and obtains additional gift coupons for gift exchange。
More than a child, a marble machine with both fun and luck, is attracting players of all ages. In little red, there are more than 140,000 notes on “technology and techniques of marble machines”。
The marble machine is a new summer student
"how can it be so difficult without winning?" in a video-playing town in the south-west of guangzhou, a primary school student was skilled in pulling the pins of a marble machine and firing the marbles into the barrier zone, but unfortunately the marbles did not fall into the reward route as intended. At the same time, a junior high school student in the other corner shouted with excitement that, along with the fall of the marbles into the reward route, the marble machine threw out the reward beads and gift vouchers。
During the summer, marble machines became a “c” product for leisure and entertainment, attracting a number of students. Journalists visited and found that a number of malls had also set up marble bands. For example, nearly 100 marble machines were placed on the ground floor of a shopping mall in guangzhou. Even on working day nights, the number of seats still exceeds 80 per cent, and players are predominantly students。
The first floor of a mall in guangzhou
Why is a little marble machine so obsessed with children
Journalists have learned that marble machines are not complicated. Players first buy beads in cash, each game can put a certain number of beads into a marble machine, then press the button to randomly confirm the multiplier of the current game, and then pull the pole to launch the beads into the barrier zone. If the marbles pass through the barrier and fall into the light channel, they receive a reciprocal bead incentive (reward = number of beads × rate); if the beads do not fall into the light channel, the beads are confiscated and the game is over。
Journalists observed that players can continuously win beads through games and continue to recycle them; however, if the game is often lost and the beads run out, you have to buy the beads again if you want to continue。
"consumer news"
It is worth mentioning that beads can only be used to participate in games and have no other value. If a player can win enough beads in a single game, an additional gift voucher (for exchange of gifts) is available. Specific incentive rules are set by the business. For example, there are commercial requirements to obtain one gift voucher for winning more than 50 beads and two gift coupons for winning more than 100 beads in a single game, and so on。
"consumer news"
The excitement and the joy of the gifts brought about by the win and the win have made the children enjoy it, but parents disagree。
"it'll take a few dozen dollars for an afternoon. It's perfect for a scooter." mom thinks it's better to take the kids out on weekends to play a marble machine than to play a cell phone at home. Another mother, ms. Chen, said: “the child comes to play two or three times a week during the summer vacation, worried about his addiction.”
Indeed, more than students, some adults are equally interested in marble machines, of which chen is one after 95. He told reporters that “sometimes it takes about $100 each to play a marble machine after work, and that it's exciting to win some gift coupons if you're lucky, to exchange gifts”
The marbles are blowing up a "opening hot"
At present, a number of marble-column shops are located in large malls, as well as a number of marble-playing areas that are located in the malls. In addition, some doll shops and video games have been introduced to enrich entertainment. One of the heads of the doll machine store told the journalists that during the summer, more people came to play the marble machine than the doll machine, and there were plans to open another specialized marble machine. The head of the direct sale of the marble machine indicated to the press that 80 per cent of the machine was maori, and that the site would be available for approximately three or four months。
According to the press, there are two main forms of opening a marble shop: the first is the opening of a shop by a person and the buying of machines to operate on its own; the second is the joining of businesses, which pay a fee to a marble manufacturer or brander, who provides services such as relatively sophisticated operating systems, marketing, technical training, etc。
According to a $148 million association programme for the brand of a marble machine, the cost consists of $20,000 for a three-year branding authorization fee, a shop-wide ip programme, a marketing outreach programme, and various types of equipment, such as a marble machine, a self-seller, a pearl machine and a scorecard。
A marble branding scheme
The related director of the brand disclosed to the press that a 5 per cent discount would be required for live vibrating and for branders, respectively, to write off the tremors, with a daily turnover of up to $34,000 for a union store and up to $56,000 for weekends。
However, there is also a perception among industry that the marble machines simply coincide with the resurgence of summer holidays. As more and more people join the ranks, competition will intensify, and returns will likely be significantly lower than expected。
Is the domestic marble machine legal
Parents' fears are justified. This seemingly simple but tempting machine of marbles can easily be fascinated and may even involve gambling。
The history of the marble machines can be traced back to the american and european region, where they were prevalent in taverns as a form of entertainment. In the early part of the twentieth century, a bbb machine was introduced into japan for children's fun. In 1930, the japanese improved the bbb machine by launching the first marble machine for adults and opening a special game hall in nagoya. The marble machinery at this time was mostly woody and was mainly mechanical and operated in open areas。
After the second world war, nagoya saw its first modern marble shop, which quickly prevailed throughout japan. Over time, the marble machine has gradually expanded to the adult world, especially when linked to money, from a parent-child activity to a game of gambling。
So, do these marble machines, which operate at the mall and target students, really comply with our laws and regulations
"we do business legally, and we don't play the law over the edge." one of the marble sellers stated to the consumer reporter that the bead machine was generally used as a return card for gifts, the value of which could not exceed $300。
In an interview with a reporter, consumer reporter, lawyer ouyang yipen, a beijing-based beijing-based law firm, stated that if a marble operator, by setting up a fixed rate mechanism, recycling marbles that do not return cash but high-value convertible goods, and the player relies primarily on luck rather than skills to win a return, the elements of gambling that are consistent with the “basket investment - random results - financial returns” may be identified as “the opening of a casino”。
In accordance with the opinion of the supreme people's court, the supreme people's procuratorate and the ministry of public security on a number of issues relating to the law applicable to cases involving the establishment of casinos using gambling machines, issued jointly in 2014, the installation of equipment for video games with the function of gambling, such as refunds, credits and repossessed steel beads, and the use of valuables such as cash, securities, etc., as prizes, or the organization of gambling activities in the form of repurchases of valuables such as cash, securities, etc. (hereinafter referred to as the setting up of gaming machines) shall be considered “the opening of casinos”, as provided for in article 203, paragraph 2, of the penal code. However, the establishment of a game machine is not punishable as an offence for recreational activities in exchange for a small amount of prizes。
The ministry of culture and tourism has also issued the act on the management of playcraft equipment, which stipulates that games equipment may not contain the following elements that promote gambling: those that have or are disguised as having the function of holding points, withdrawing points, refunds, retorts, etc.; fishing machines, etc., which are small in the form of multiples; tiger machines, spinners, racers, etc., which are automatically determined by the system; and others that promote gambling。
In the light of the above, if a marble machine is deemed to be gambling, two elements are to be met: first, the return of the pearl and second, the reward of cash or valuables. Journalists visited a number of marble shops and found that beads won by players in games could not be used for cash exchange and that extra gift coupons could be used only for dolls, blind box operations or some low-value digital electronic products, such as small fans, chargers, bluetooth headsets, massage machines, etc。
A reporter from consumer report, a gift exchange area at a marble shop in guangzhou
It is worth noting that article 22 of the act on the management of playcraft equipment provides that when game equipment provides a physical incentive in a probabilistic manner, the operator should have a clear probability range in the positive position of the game equipment. However, a visit by consumer reporter found that some of the marble dealers did not indicate the probability range。
The marble machines, on the other hand, have a certain “small-sized” character, linked to their easy-to-hand, immediate feedback and incentive mechanisms. Parents should be careful not to become obsessed with minors and even to produce speculation. They should take their children more to outdoor activities, distract them, preferably play with them, and limit their play time and frequency。
