Will Hong Kong’s claw machine regulations curb gaming habits and gambling risks?

As cases of addiction linked to claw machines rise, the South China Morning Post examines the city’s regulatory push and lessons from overseas After years of debate over whether claw and pinball machines encourage high-stakes gambling, Hong Kong has finally proposed stricter oversight to curb gaming, particularly among teenagers. Cases of addiction linked to these machines are rising in the city, but drawing a clear distinction between gaming and gambling remains difficult. As Hong Kong prepares to amend relevant laws, The South China Morning Post examines how other jurisdictions regulate the trend and asks an expert from an addiction counselling centre whether their approaches could work locally. Claw machine shops have proliferated across Hong Kong, particularly after a 2022 court ruling that operators were not required to obtain a public entertainment licence These businesses have evolved to offer high-value prizes. Some pinball machine shops have also been accused of cashing out rewards through “gift redemption” or “private buy-backs”, attracting customers to spend large sums of money or extended periods of time.

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