In the 13 plus years I've been writing for this site I don't think I've ever tackled the subject of amusement games before. They're something that almost all parks have in some form or another, be it a large collection of games, or just a crane machine or two. Obviously they're popular with park operators as a good way to make extra money. The fun and amusement aspects ensure they remain popular with park visitors, despite the fact that 99% of the time it's far more cost efficient to just buy a similar item to the prize elsewhere.

A lot of people will complain these games are rigged. Well of course they are, that's how the parks make money, they're not a charity. It is illegal to have a game that's impossible to win, but if it's theoretically possible, even if only by knowing an inside secret, by being incredibly skilled in something most people won't have practiced, or in a game of chance where the odds are several thousand to one against you, it's legal. A good example of one of these games with deceptively high odds I've seen at a lot of fairgrounds (but not at many amusement parks) is the make 21 game. You pay to purchase sealed envelopes with tickets in. If you put together a number of tickets where the total makes 21 you win. There are other variants where you have to match up two halves of an animal, but all work with a similar idea. Most of these games have extravagant prizes to draw people in. Your very unlikely to win though, because the number of tickets with an odd number on (needed to make a total of 21) is controlled by the operator, who has complete control off the odds.

The type of game your most likely to win on are prize every time style games. The most common type of game is a hook a duck style game, but their are other games that give you a prize every time, or a game with a high chance of you winning, where your very likely to win a prize. The other type of game like this is a race game, where a number of players play against each other, with the winner getting a prize. You will always find though that these games are basically a roundabout way of selling someone a prize at a profit.

Other games that seem particularly popular at theme parks are ones that rely on a lucky shot to win. Examples of this are the goblets game where throw a plastic ball in to a goblet, or throw a small plastic ring over the neck of a glass bottle. Theoretically you could practice these games to increase your odds of winning. Most people won't be lucky enough to win very often, but occasionally a lucky shot will win a big prize. For a theme park this is particularly advantageous as the site of someone walking around with the giant cuddly toy will encourage other people to have a go, thinking if someone else has won they're in with a chance. They will give out more prizes, but overall will make more money from people who try and don't win.

The occasional winner philosophy applies to a lot of games, including ones that are made to look easier than they are. There's the lucky ladder game, where you try to limb a rope ladder on a pivot without it tipping over. The operator makes it look easy because they've had a lot of practice. Games like this and the Rodeo Bull also work like pay extra attractions, where people pay just to try them.

Another example of a game that's easier than it looks are the various basketball games around. If you've played basketball this seems easy, but it's set up to make it difficult. The ball won't necessarily be one you'd normally use, the hoop will be at a different height, with a backboard with more bounce than normal. Also if you look carefully the hoop is often a slightly off circular shape, decreasing the odds further. This applies to a lot of sporting games, whether it is with a football or darts.

About the worst type of game when it comes to winning a prize are ones which require inside knowledge to win. There are books on the subject you can find on Amazon by searching for amusement park game secret. A good example is the bounce off game. In it you have to throw a ball so it bounces off a board so it bounces in to a basket. The operator makes it look easy, because they stand to one side, so when the ball hits the angled board it bounces down. You have to stand opposite, so the ball almost always bounces back past the basket. The only way to win is to throw the ball up so it comes down at a steeper angle, so doesn't bounce out as far. Even when you know this it still takes a lot of luck and practice.

By far the most numerous amusements out there are not the games with an operator, but the electronic ones found in numerous locations. One of the most popular is the coin pushers.  A simple game where you drop in a coin on to a moving platform, that pushes coins close to the edge of the payout chute, where a tantalizing amount of coins gather. The hope being your coin is the one that pushes the rest over the edge. You may wonder how an arcade makes money from these, I always assumed the arcade just took coins away when it was closed, until recently when I learned the secret. It looks like all the coins which drop off the edge go to the payout tray. In reality there are some extra chutes hidden from view. You get all the coins that drop down a large chute in the middle, either side are two small chutes which catch coins which the arcade keeps. Basically the arcade makes money by keeping a percentage of the winnings.

By far the most popular amusement machine not classed as a gambling machine has to be the crane game. It's a simple game where you push a few buttons to position a claw, which then drops down in an attempt to win a prize. There are a number of varieties such as a giant version, countless different themes, plus a large variety of prizes. Usually it's a cuddly toy, but sometimes I've seen other prizes, and on one occasion a toy with £20 note attached you can see pictured left. My favourite example was at the Foire du Trone in Paris. They had around 20 of these machines all set up so you get 20 goes for one Euro. Your chances of winning aren't necessarily any greater, but your getting a good level of amusement for your money.

As you've probably gathered the chances of winning aren't great, but it's not impossible, I've won a couple of times myself. Although there is a slight amount of skill involved it's mostly a game of chance. Normally they operate in such a way as to not pick up a prize. It is though set up to pick up a prize every so many goes. This means the operator decides how often a prize is given out, and more importantly how much money they make for every prize given out. You could theoretically get a cheap prize by watching a machine, counting the number of failed attempts between each win, and waiting before you know a winning grab is due before playing. In reality though the prize value, and the time this would take, mean you'd end up making less than you would by doing a minimum wage job.

There are of course lots of other electronic games, where you try to win a prize, or win tickets to trade for prizes. Most aren't dissimilar to other types of amusement games, where your unlikely to win a prize worth more than what you paid for it. One trick of note can be found on the games with more expensive prizes.

A good example of this is the stacker game, or a stop the light game. They are rigged similarly to the crane game, only with more of a skill element remaining. An operator decides how much to charge for a prize, the machine then tracks how much money it has taken, and how many prizes it has given out. For example if they charge £30 a prize a machine that's taken over £30 will allow for one prize to be given out, if it's taken £60 without giving away a prize it will allow for 2 wins. If though you play before the machine has taken enough money the game is rigged to always loose, no matter how good your timing.

Overall I think the best way to look at these amusement games, just as the name says, purely as a form of amusement. If you do win something it's a nice bonus, but no matter how close you think your coming to winning don't go expecting it to happen. If you see something you want to win chances are there are more cost effective ways to get it. They are though a good source of fun or amusement when you go to a park or fair.