UK - General Fruit machine @ pubs

**me_and_ed** · 28th January 2012, 11:05 PM

I wish I understood how to properly play these games (online, no fruities in Canada), I get killed always.

**baldidiot** · 31st March 2012, 03:25 PM

You know... I don't even remember the last time I was in a pub that had a fruity. Admittedly I don't really like wetherspoons & oneils so haven't been to one of those in a long time but none of the other pubs we go to in london have them any more - esp the independents and sam smiths.

**09237653** · 1st April 2012, 02:36 AM

Interesting programme about the state of UK gambling here (possibily only watchable by UK players as its BBC iplayer)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode..._Real_Hustler/

**baldidiot** · 1st April 2012, 11:54 AM

Thanks, that was interesting. A very good point was made early on about allowing children to play the low stakes fruit machines at beach-side arcades -that was also my first introduction to gambling. It does seem a bit strange and not really common-sense.

Also interesting (for those that don't want to, or cant, watch the whole thing) was the research showing the difference in brain activity between problem gamblers and non-problem gamblers.

**Jasminebed** · 1st April 2012, 06:15 PM

Found a Youtube of same:

**Simmo!** · 1st April 2012, 08:43 PM

Originally Posted by baldidiot

Thanks, that was interesting. A very good point was made early on about allowing children to play the low stakes fruit machines at beach-side arcades -that was also my first introduction to gambling. It does seem a bit strange and not really common-sense.

Also interesting (for those that don't want to, or cant, watch the whole thing) was the research showing the difference in brain activity between problem gamblers and non-problem gamblers.

Yes it started like it was going to be another "look how bad gambling is" thing while just selecting a few extreme cases but the programme got better and better, more interesting and eye opening. Agree that research on "near miss" was fascinating.

PS. Spooky at the beginning. I turned off a CD to watch that and the first track on the documentary was also on the CD I was listening to. I was trying to work out how my amp could be playing both at the same time LOL.

**LaHutti** · 2nd April 2012, 06:38 AM

Very interesting video...thanks for posting that.

Originally Posted by Jasminebed

Found a Youtube of same:

**vinylweatherman** · 2nd April 2012, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by baldidiot

Thanks, that was interesting. A very good point was made early on about allowing children to play the low stakes fruit machines at beach-side arcades -that was also my first introduction to gambling. It does seem a bit strange and not really common-sense.

Also interesting (for those that don't want to, or cant, watch the whole thing) was the research showing the difference in brain activity between problem gamblers and non-problem gamblers.

That's NOW, it was far worse when I was a kid in the 1960's and 1970's. There were NO restrictions at all on who could play "Fruities", whether or not they were at the seaside. I was lucky because there were none where I lived, so I had a week or two per year of access. Kids who lived in bigger towns and the resorts themselves had year round access. I also found that well into the 1990's kids would cycle into the Motorway services via the back roads (staff entrance) and play the onsite machines, which were NOT "low stake", but standard 20p games. Many also had the "streak pot" system, where every now and then a huge run of wins could be gained. This was something to chase after, and encouraged play even after a decent sized win in the hope that the big streak was near. It also drove a fear of leaving a machine in case the next player hit the streak right in front of you (this has happened to me, and I have seen it. I have done it to others, so I suppose it's fair

).

It is only recently that a real tightening has taken place, with strict requirements governing access to high stakes machines no matter where they are sited. It is now only the low stake and low prize machines that can be played by children, and even these are supposed to be policed by the operators to ensure that it is not children coming specifically to play the machines, but rather children with their parents enjoying a day out. Children are supposed to be challenged at seaside resorts if they are seen playing during school hours, and ejected if they are not on holiday or with parents.

Despite this, the bottom line is that children can STILL gamble, and I don't think restricting the stakes or prizes has much effect when it comes to getting the few "problem" personalities hooked from an early age.

There has been significant pressure from parts of the industry to prevent an outright ban on ALL play by under 18's, so the low stakes, low prizes, regime is a compromise. Seaside resorts considered a total ban on children would put them out of business, as not only would children not be spending their parents money on the machines, the parents themselves would not play because they could not take their children along.

Children have never been able to play in the US, but there have been many successful "video arcades" there. Although not gambling, similar problems have arisen there too, with children spending too much money chasing the high scores, and the kudos of being considered a "legend". Video arcades would not be so successful now, because most gaming is done at home on consoles, and for free once the equipment has been bought. UK operators are backed into a corner, and must hang on to the low stakes machines at all costs, else they would have to move to a completely new form of entertainment offering suited to their premises, and outside of their field of expertise. I doubt many have even thought of what they would do if all forms of gambling at any stakes was made 18s and above.

**ChopleyIOM** · 3rd April 2012, 08:56 PM

Sorry a bit late to this thread

I'm a part-time semi-pro UK fruit machine (AWP) player, insofar as I make consistent profits on them and have done for years - albeit on a fairly casual basis.

A few key points:

1) UK AWPs are COMPENSATED, that is to say they actively seek out their target percentage and previous play does affect future play, the machine 'knows' what it's done before and also knows how far it wants to let itself be pushed at any given time. They are as far from random slots as you can possibly imagine.

2) They are vulnerable to manipulation/cheats/trickery to a frightening degree. In many cases, if you don't know what the 'shows' are (whether or not to play), and the 'tricks' thereafter (how to get the machine to pay out before it really wants to) - you will lose lose lose and you will lose horribly.

Sometimes these tricks/cheats/rips/traps are the result of coding errors, sometimes they're just outright corrupt and deliberately coded in.

3) There are large numbers of true pro players who will travel hundreds of miles in a day to seek out their preferred machines. If a 'good' machine is covered by a pro or two, no one else will ever get a look in.

There are plenty of videos of me jackpotting/mega streaking AWPs on my YouTube channel, note how the same machines seem to turn up again and again, that's not by coincidence.....

http://www.youtube.com/user/chopleyspinach

Here's a £156 megastreak for example, remember that this machine has an RTP of just 76% and is COMPENSATED, so you really, really don't want to be playing this afterwards, or indeed until it's taken over £300 back.

Quite a nice raise for me though