Academics on the rise and future of vintage arcades in contemporary seaside resorts

[moonriver]

When I won a hand pay jackpot at the Luxor in Vegas the host had me fill in an ITIN form and the casino paid me in full, no tax deduction. It took about 40 mins to do.

[limpo]

You're absolutely right...
my family and I recently flew to the USA in the state of PA and, as always, according to the old tradition, we wanted to look into the old casino where dad was in his youth
and due to the pandemic and the development of mobile networks, it has already closed
we were interested in how they work for them, we tried it a little, especially since I'm not a big fan of all this because my father was addicted but one thing even interested me, since I have plans to fly there on an exchange. These are tax calculators. I do not remember exactly. Most likely it was not this site. I took the first one I saw https://pennsylvania-online-gambling.com/tax-calculator
and it doesn't matter which site I found in order to protect its users they introduce such innovations. I think if this had happened in the days of my father's youth, it might have been different

Hi... Yes I feel your plight... I have experienced first hand the tough taxation at these US casinos. Around six years ago I was working in Chicago near O'Hare Airport and visited the Rivers Casino as they had a great (but very small) Korean restaurant. After my meal and on the the way out, I decided to have a quick punt and it was going to be quick as I only had $60 in my pocket, so played a 3 reeler machine $1 a spin... Well, after about 12 spins I got a red 7 and two wilds... and thought ooooh great, looked up and saw that 3 x red 7s was $100 - blooming fantastic I thought... but the credit meter went past 100 and then I noticed the light on the top was flashing... and then people started gathering around me... saying well done... it was then I realized that the first wild was x5 and the second wild was x10 ($100 x5 x10 = $5K). I started jumping up and down... I had never won this amount of money before... So the attendant turned up to do a hand pay and asked me for my US social security number... As a UK resident, I did not have one... so they informed me that they would have to deduct 30% Tax at source, which they gave me a receipt for. It was a big chunk ($1500) but hey I had $3500 now in my pocket... Next day I went down Guitar Center and bought a guitar that I wanted so badly but previously could not afford. Great memories and also helped the US government out with $1500 worth of taxation.

All the best .... Dicky

Yee
Thank you, this is informative story, hope she helps someone

All the best you too

[ilovemyjukebox]

Am I the only one here that thinks the demise of inland Arcades was a good thing. As I recall they were full of people who could ill afford to gamble in the first place.

I understand Seaside Arcades from a nostalgic viewpoint but again, a recent visit to one on holiday this year only went to reinforce my point above, full of people trying to earn a living out of the machines rather than recognising them as entertainment.

We have a real issue in this country with gambling. Whether it be bookmakers or online.

Just my pennies worth. I know it won’t be popular.

[brigham]

Am I the only one here that thinks the demise of inland Arcades was a good thing. As I recall they were full of people who could ill afford to gamble in the first place.

That's not what I recall the London ones being full of.

I was around 9 or 10 years old, on a 'Motor Show' trip, and I scrounged some change off the Grown-Ups to go into an arcade in Piccadilly Circus. It was over the road from the Corner House, and I was being watched from there.
It was an interesting visit. When I was asked how it compared to the familiar Durham coast arcades, I told them it was very different. "Even the boys can wear make-up".

I wasn't let out of their sight for the rest of the visit!

[moonriver]

I understand Seaside Arcades from a nostalgic viewpoint but again, a recent visit to one on holiday this year only went to reinforce my point above, full of people trying to earn a living out of the machines rather than recognising them as entertainment.

Short of being very rude..........Yes, arcades ARE trying to earn a living out of the machines because that is their livelihood, much the same as any other business and income in a difficult market place that their families rely upon , usually generations owned................
and not JUST there for your entertainment.

Or did you think it was all about you?

[ilovemyjukebox]

You miss my point completely. Not the owner trying to earn a living but the punter. Of course the operator’s motivation is to grab as money as possible. However, Drug dealers have lifestyles and families to support too but we don’t tolerate them.
Gambling is addictive in the same way as drugs are. The arcades just fed this. As a child going to the seaside I’d save my money all year to go on holiday and play the slots. Nostalgic. Inland arcades feed those poor souls who are just chasing the next win to try and catch up with their losses. Good riddance to them. The chap who visited London years ago and visited an arcade Yeap Nostalgia. London arcades in modern times housed London’s underbelly.

[moonriver]

Seeing as you brought up your point which you thought would be controversial, I'm all for debating a subject I'm familiar with.

Having re-read your post, and your subsequent amendments I still don't see how your holiday visit to the seaside arcades left you with the view of "full of people trying to earn a living out of the machines, rather than recognising them as entertainment", as the coastal arcades aimed at the 'family with children' market survive on 2p coin play across the board, and ticket redemption,
so I don't see how the punters are trying to make a living from it?

Every competent business owner's motive is to make money no matter whether it's a barber's shop, greengrocer, bowling alley, or amusement arcade, the difference is size of operation and overheads, they're all businesses.
Why would it not be the barber trying to "grab as much money as possible" from his business? or the greengrocer? Why then is it the arcade owner 'grabbing' the money?

Why are you implying inland arcades and gaming centres in contemporary society are full of drug dealers?

Re addictive behaviour, lots of things that can become addictive are perfectly acceptable ( and legal) in moderation, that when pushed to the extreme become harmful. If as you say about inland arcades "full of those poor souls chasing the next win" ,
are Weatherspoons not 'full of those poor souls just chasing their next alcoholic drink?
or
Ladbrokes, BetFred, PaddyPower, William Hills 'full of those poor souls just chasing their next race?'
or
Dunkin Donuts 'full of those poor souls chasing their next sugar rush?'

[coppinpr]

I have no problem with any arcade owner running an arcade to earn their living, their morals in doing so are another issue, One thing I can say for sure is there was a BIG difference between the seaside arcade and the city arcades of the early '70s. I worked in some of the busiest arcades in Londons Soho and in some long-lived and successful ones out in the City suburbs, and the clientele was very different from the seaside. To start with the young child with a hand full of pennies didn't exist in the London arcades. I started using these arcades in 1965 as a 15-year-old just starting work nearby (not in the arcades) and they were very much a place of regular punters playing mostly pinballs, there was also a selection of transient punters using the arcades before catching a train or bus, then there was the non-playing section, meeting friends(?) doing deals(?) or just hanging about waisting their unemployed days. these arcades paid out in coins but mostly fags and that was a big draw. By the 70's I was working nights in the Soho arcades doing repairs and emptying machines. this last job was very important, some machines needed emptying several times a night at weekends or they simply jammed up with coins. The Soho arcades had a very different clientele, a lot of sightseers playing the machines for fun, a smaller bunch of hangers about including a lot of hookers (not so much drugs in those days) but the owners tended to make us move these non-players on as soon as possible. As for Soho everything changed at midnight, with the sightseers and theatre-goers gone home the arcades filled to bursting with Chinese people (both male and female)coming in from the now-closed restaurants and clubs in china town and they were clearly there to try and win money, they ONLY played slots, about 3 am they moved on and we closed the arcades and started emptying and repairing the machines that had failed during this frantic final busy period. At 11 am the next shift opened the arcades and the process started again. The owners of these Soho arcades (and the outer city ones that I worked in) were crooks, no one else got a look in. The boss of the ones I worked in became a semi friend of mine, an American of about 50 years old married with kids who lived in a penthouse flat in Kensington but I know for a fact he was answerable to bigger names the like of which I only ever saw at a distance and they never visited the arcades.

[ilovemyjukebox]

I still don’t think you are reading my post correctly. I apologise if I haven’t got it across properly. There was only an amendment to my second post. I felt it was too rude.

I’m in agreement with you about Betfred and other gaming companies. You can’t watch the telly or listen to the radio without being bombarded by betting ads.

As for public houses feeding alcoholics again we are in agreement accept that there are laws preventing servers selling Alcohol to those that are drunk.

At no point did I say that Inland arcades are full of drug dealers but as you mention it I would say that from personal experience I know a fair few dealers that used Arcades to distribute their wares store their stock etc.

Inland arcades are not nice places. A blight on what is left of the high street and a Mecca for people who have nowhere else to be.

I know we are at opposite ends of the spectrum on this so won’t comment any further.

[moonriver]

I was going to round off this little discussion by saying how ironic that you hate inland arcades so much as historically if it wasn't for inland arcades you wouldn't have most of the old slot machines you collect today.
All of the big characters, good and bad, from our great Amusement Industry , and the innovation they brought designing and making and then operating machines to entertain the great British public at their inland pleasure fairs, amusement arcades, parlours and fairgrounds have provided the quality and variety of vintage amusement arcade machines we fondly remember and now want to own and enjoy
..............and then I remembered you collect jukeboxes.

[brigham]

There IS an element of 'hard gambling' even in the seaside arcades where I live.
There's usually the 'Big Boys' section, with glass gates, dire warnings and a Hartlepool girl to 'explain' it to you if you don't understand.
It's a blurring of the distinctions between what we knew as a penny arcade, and the heady world of the pub machine, the bookies and the casino.
I was happy when you couldn't win much, but you also couldn't bankrupt yourself.

[moonriver]