Japan's a lot more liberal with the prizes they give out.

I'm travelling with a friend to Japan soon and she funds a decent chunk of her trip by cleaning out the UFO catchers for exclusive merch (Japan puts actual exclusives in some of theirs) then bringing it back and selling it.

I guess I'll find out how good they are with prizes in about a month.

even rare burger king toys can be worth something

because they're actual games, instead of scams.

These games are always a scam, although some of them are more friendly to the mark.

She sells the prizes she wins back to the arcade?

Anyway, the machines with a lot of little prizes aren't too hard to win. Larger trinkets and stuffed toys can be tougher.

She brings them back to North America and ebays them or more often sells them at vendor booths at conventions. A buck or two in the machine turned around for 40 or more here adds up quickly. Doesn't cover her trip, but subsidizes it pretty nicely and she likes playing them as well.

Some sort of strange wrestling kayfabe.