BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Several Laundromats here have been using “coin-pusher” gambling games that come filled with coins and prizes, according to the New York Daily News.Players insert a quarter into the games in hopes their coin pushes a group of quarters into a winning slot when a metal bed sweeps against them. You may have seen these types of games at arcades and carnivals, but generally the payouts are in tokens redeemable for prizes.There have been charges in the past that these machines don’t “pay off.” Store employees say these machines can bring in about $200 a week, the New York Daily News reports.A coin-pusher game with cash prizes is illegal, the New York Police Department says.Generating revenue through gambling is not really a controversial idea, according to a 2009 Wire survey. (American Coin-Op’s Wire, a weekly electronic newsletter, offers a monthly survey that presents a snapshot of readers’ viewpoints at a particular moment. The survey should not be considered scientific.)Sixty-eight percent of survey respondents said they would offer some type of gambling (lottery tickets, slots, video poker, etc.) if given the opportunity. Eighteen percent weren’t sure if they would bring gambling into their laundries, and 14% wouldn’t offer any type of gambling.Thirty-six percent of the “positive” respondents said their decision to bring gambling into their laundry had been influenced by economic conditions. Sixty percent said the economy played no role in their decision, and 4% weren’t sure if the economic conditions affected their attitude toward gambling.A large number of respondents (82%) believed gambling would generate modest or significant revenue at their stores. Regardless of their feelings on the subject, 93% said they owed it to themselves to check out any government-offered gambling opportunity.
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