Claw vending machines, often containing plush toys, are a common type of merchandiser.

A merchandiser is an arcade gaming device, which features a machine that contains a display of merchandise, which can be won by playing the game. In the trade, such games are described as Skill With Prizes (SWP) games, and are a hybrid of games of skill and games of chance, with the preponderance of skill or chance differing between devices and often able to be set by the operator.

[edit] Description

Stacker frequently features high end merchandise.

Claw vending machines are the most popular example of a merchandiser. The player guides a claw in the attempt to pick up a prize and drop it into a hole. Other types of merchandisers can offer prizes ranging from cheap and inexpensive to high end merchandise such as video game consoles and iPods.

A similar class of games are redemption games, where tickets are won and can be redeemed for merchandise prizes, rather than merchandise being won directly. These are both modern forms of carnival games.

Some games can be configured as either redemption games or merchandisers, such as Flamin' Finger.

[edit] Examples

Examples include:

• Claw vending machine
• Stacker
• Flamin' Finger, which can be configured as a redemption game or merchandiser

[edit] Regulation

This section requires expansion.

As Skill With Prizes machines, merchandisers are in a legal gray area, due to containing elements of skill and of chance, particularly since payout percentages can to a large extent be set by the operator – such setting leads to machines being described as "rigged". They are generally regulated separately from games of pure chance such as slot machines; see claw vending machine: legality for statues pertaining to claw machines.

Claims of being largely or entirely skill-based can expose the operator to accusation of unfair practices; thus some lawyers advise operators to not advertise the machines as being skill-based.^[1]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Bandai Namco Group – Brent Sales – Prize Products