Throw money away - now that's fun! (Fruit Machines)

Member Name: bruffyboy

Product:	Fruit Machines
Date:	26/06/09 (43 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fun to play

Disadvantages: not fun to lose

Fruit machines are gambling machines where you press a button to spin three or four different reels. If the reels land in certain positions, such as having the same picture on them, you win money. Every button press costs you money, usually between 20 and 50 pence. Prizes are usually from £1-£50, but some in Vegas have million dollar jackpots.

There's a certain glamour associated with fruit machines, where basically the single aim is to make more money than you put in. You find them in most pubs, but can also buy them for your home for as little as £50 second hand on ebay. I know because I wanted one for a long time, and nearly bought one!

The allure is not just in winning money. Bright flashing lights, TV or film tie-ins, and sound effects all aim to draw you to the machine. This is a bad thing as it also attracts kids, who all love the look of them; they look just like toys, even though you have to be over 18 to play. This drives me crazy, as it is deliberately trying to take money off of young people who don't have the mental capacity to realise the situation. It makes it look like a game, when really it's a gambling machine.

The computer chips are set to make sure the machine always ends up on top, so although there are often winners too, the majority of people come away as losers. This means most people lose out, and yet the addictive level is so high, added to by the bright colours and lights, that people play on and on. Putting them in pubs, you inevitably have those influence by drink who don't really think about the consequences either.

I used to work with a lad who put £80 a week into these, and it was proof that they are totally addictive.

Having said that, I enjoy playing them, especially when you get nudges and have to work out how to use them, or have to press a button at a certain imilisecond whilst its flashing, but this is why I wanted my own, so I could keep the money afterwards!

All in all, I recommend getting your own. As a way of making money it just doesn't work, so save yourself the heartache and whack one in the dining room!

Summary: do it