Editing Claw machine (section)

==Chances of winning==
[[File:Elaut E-Claw in Pier Amusements 20180804.jpg|thumb|A pair of E-Claw, claw machines created by Belgian manufacturer Elaut]]

Since the 1920s, advertising for claw machines has suggested that they are able to be won completely through strategy and skill. Claw machines can be set to give players a chance of winning during every paid turn if they use a "Play Till Win" setting.<ref name="n24">{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Andrew |title=Most claw machines in SA arcades can be rigged – and manuals show winning isn't about player skill |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/tech-and-trends/claw-machines-in-south-africa-rigged-2023-2 |website=[[News24 (website)|News24]] |access-date=1 May 2023 |date=6 February 2023}}</ref> Settings like claw strength—which is controlled by the amount of voltage sent to a claw—and "dropping skill"—the ability of a claw to drop a prize back into the machine after picking it up—are frequently modified by arcade owners to control the odds of a player winning and are often based on how much money the machine has earned.<ref name="vox" /> Claw machine strength-control has been reported in the United States, South Africa, South Korea, and Singapore.<ref name="today" /><ref name="n24" /><ref name="kjd" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ewe |first1=Koh |title=Arcade Experts Tell Us Why We Never Win Toys in Claw Machines |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/arcade-experts-explain-how-claw-machine-works/ |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |access-date=12 May 2023 |date=21 April 2021}}</ref>

On social media platforms such as [[TikTok]] and [[YouTube]], videos of people using claw machines and offering modifications for how to get prizes from them were popular in the 2010s and 2020s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Did a TikToker tell the world how to win a prize in claw machine games? |url=https://www.jpost.com/omg/article-716924 |website=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |access-date=8 May 2023 |date=12 September 2022}}</ref><ref name="n24" /> A 2015 report by ''[[Vox Media|Vox]]''{{'}}s Phil Edwards describing how claw machines were often rigged went viral online and became controversial among claw machine enthusiasts.<ref name="npr">{{Cite episode |title=Conspiracy Of The Claw: Inside The Long Odds Of An Arcade Favorite |url=https://www.npr.org/2015/09/05/437873846/conspiracy-of-the-claw-inside-the-long-odds-of-an-arcade-favorite |access-date=2 May 2023 |series=All Things Considered |series-link=All Things Considered |first=Arun |last=Rath |network=[[NPR]] |station= |date=5 September 2015}}</ref> A 2016 report by [[Jeff Rossen]] for the American TV program ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' showing the same thing prompted the [[American Amusement Machine Association]], which represents arcade game manufacturers across the United States, to make their members sign a "Fair Play Pledge" in 2017 that required their machines to be winnable through skill alone.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Orland |first1=Kyle |title=Arcade group promises ticket and claw games will no longer be "rigged" |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/05/arcade-group-promises-ticket-and-claw-games-will-no-longer-be-rigged/ |website=[[Ars Technica]] |access-date=April 28, 2023 |date=May 6, 2017}}</ref> The 2021 book ''How to Beat the Claw Machine: Tips and Tricks to Help You Win Big'', written by American arcade owner Brian McKanna, offers tips on how to win prizes at claw machines, which he described as "absolutely rigged".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Millitzer |first1=Joe |title=St. Louis man writes the book on how to beat arcade claw machines |url=https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/st-louis-man-writes-the-book-on-how-to-beat-claw-machines-in-arcades/ |website=[[KTVI]] |access-date=28 April 2023 |date=13 December 2021}}</ref>

According to a 2023 report by [[News24 (website)|News24]], most claw machines in South Africa can be set to only allow players to win if the machine has earned a certain amount of money.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Le Roux |first1=Cornelia |title=It's a 'fluffing' rip-off! The strength on some claw machines in SA arcades CAN be controlled by the owner |url=https://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/claw-machines-south-africa-arcade-games-sa-owners-rigging-how-scam-6-february-2023/ |website=[[The South African]] |access-date=1 May 2023 |date=6 February 2023}}</ref> A manual for the Intelligrab operating system, made by Belgian manufacturer Elaut, encourages claw machine owners to create the illusion that the player almost won the prize, and owners can adjust machines' claw strength per turn.<ref name="n24" />