Investigation of claw machine arcades in 6 major Taiwanese cities finds 70 percent contain illegal goods
Taiwan News
Date: 2019/04/04
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
(Photo by Consumers’ Foundation)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Executive Yuan’s Consumer Protection Committee and the Consumers’ Foundation released the results of an investigation which found that 70 percent of claw machine arcades sold illegal goods and violated at least seven laws and regulations and many are within 100 meters of schools.
During a press conference held on Children’s Day today, the two organizations announced that an investigation of claw game arcades in six major Taiwanese cities revealed that 20 percent of the shops were within 100 meters of schools and 70 percent were selling illegal goods such as e-cigarettes, lingerie, sex toys, and other adult products.
In response, Chen Mi-shun (陳秘順), deputy head of the MOEA’s Department of Commerce, said that the Electronic Game Arcade Business Regulation Act (電子遊戲場業管理條例) currently does not apply to claw machine arcades because they are not considered electronic gaming venues. Whether they should be included as an electronic gaming venue in the future will require public discussions.
There are a total of 8,000 claw machine arcades in Taiwan now. In January, the Consumers’ Foundation dispatched a team of volunteers to conduct a random survey of areas around elementary and junior high schools. [FULL STORY]
