Are Fishing Games Gambling

[scotland]

At various points across the US, arcade multiplayer cocktail table like fishing 'skill' games are popping up. Feed in money to get ammunition, and while music plays, you shoot bullets from a turret at fish (not usually how I fish...)

So far, they are being considered legal.

Here is an article from Charlotte North Carolina
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/latest-news/article213508384.html

Do you have an opinion on these games and how they can affect society's view on video games?

[VideoGameCritic]

Interesting topic! This fishing game definitely straddles the line between video game and slot machine.
The fact that you can win money makes all the difference. Ironically, if it just took your money there would be no controversy.

I don't like gambling. They legalized it in MD and despite all the promises about "money for schools" it seems like the casino companies got the better end of the deal.

[Breaker]

That is a long article, but pretty well written. I think the fact that you can win money back lends me to classify it as gambling. I would guess the "skill" is somehow linked to a percentage. If it was all on the up-and-up, they wouldn't have different owners and operators, and, most importantly, people wouldn't be afraid to say who makes the games they have.

[scotland]

skillbasedslotmachine.JPG (94.96 KiB) Viewed 2067 times

Here is another concept I'm learning about - "Skill-Based Slot Machines".

Traditional slot machines weren't bringing in younger players, so these evolved. You play it like slots, but then there is an option to play the bonus run either on luck (like a slot machine) or skill (playing Space Invaders)

Here's a video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3F1V01jCyA

The narrator talks about Asteroids - "Nothing bad happens when you die or each time you shoot. You only get charged when you hit an Asteroid"

[GTS]

That's definitely gambling. I'm not a big fan of gambling because it preys on the addictive vulnerabilities of the mind, and
it basically sucks money out of people's products. Poor people are often the target audience. This goes for state lotteries too.

[scotland]

That's definitely gambling. I'm not a big fan of gambling because it preys on the addictive vulnerabilities of the mind, and
it basically sucks money out of people's products. Poor people are often the target audience. This goes for state lotteries too.

I agree that the 'skill based slots' are gambling, and I believe that's not contested. Its just Slot Machines Evolved for younger people. However, I would see those fishing games as gambling too.

As for gambling in general, I'm not a fan either. It wasn't that long ago it was highly restricted, but once it loosened up in one state, neighboring states had to give way or lose that tax revenue. I've watched my state quickly evolve so now, while Atlantic City crumbles as local gambling takes over.

[Voor]

I was pretty disappointed the last time in went to a Chucky cheese. For every skee ball type game, they had 2-3 of these “chance” games where you push a button or drop a quarter at a specific time to win tickets (the currency you use to play). That was the entire “game”. It felt like gambling for pre-teens. Ugh.

Aside from a random charity raffle, I never gamble. I wouldn’t mind playing $50 worth of card games for fun, but like mentioned above, I don’t like he social implications of casinos, etc. There’s one nearby that has grown unbelievably huge over the last decade and people travel from hours away. Tons of old people.