Fair grounds can be wonderful places of entertainment for many people. Not only do they incorporate fun and entertaining rides, such as haunted houses and mini rollercoasters for kids, but they also feature certain fair ground games, too. Such games have become synonymous with fairs, including options like hook-a-duck, throw the ball into the bucket, coconut shies and more.
However, are these considered as forms of gambling or are they general games, especially considering children under the age of 18 can play them? Many of them don’t have cash prizes, so it’s not really expected that they would fall under the classification of gambling. Instead, you pay a fee to play them, and if you win, you usually get to choose a child’s toy or, as is often the case, a large teddy bear or goldfish in a bag.
That being said, they are still games, and they need to be regulated by someone who ensures that they aren’t rigged, right? If not, how can we be sure they are not rigged? After all, there have been numerous instances where players have experienced suspicious results from these fair ground games. Can a particular strategy be used to improve your chances, or are they set up to rip people off?
We’re going to be taking a look at all of these questions and see what the situation actually is. After all, people can lose lots of money on such games, so is there any sort of responsible gaming policy in place to protect customers?
Are Fair Ground Games Fair or Rigged?
It’s not uncommon in the gambling world to check a bookmaker’s license. After all, you’re gambling your own money so you want to know your bookie is legitimate. A legitimate sportsbook needs to ensure that it is adhering to fair gambling regulations, but a fair ground doesn’t fall into that same category.
Fairground games are therefore not regulated, and as such, are more open to foul play.
Back in 2013, an undercover team visited one of the UK’s largest theme parks. Thorpe Park in Surrey was accused of rigging their fair ground type games, with discoveries of various underhand tactics that prevented visitors from winning prizes on their stalls. The team from the BBC investigation group went undercover, with two of them securing jobs at the stalls, and found a slew of evidence that games were being manipulated so as to ensure players had less chance of winning.
Part of the TV series Your Money, Their Tricks, the undercover team found that employees actively distracted players as they threw balls at a target, used wax on a game’s surface in a bid to increase friction and thereby make it harder to knock blocks off, and altered the position of baskets while balls were being thrown at them. Not only that, but it showed stallholders demonstrating a game with one type of ball but providing a customer an alternative to throw.
Difficulty Levels Can Be Changed
The games were provided and managed by HB Leisure at the time, which holds what is described as a “strategic partnership” with Merlin Entertainments, who own the park. A manager of HB Leisure was caught on camera denying any accusations of cheating, but did say that staff were increasing the difficulty level of the games on offer. There were even occasions where he encouraged his employees to boost the chances of players winning in the mornings so as to encourage others to play later on in the day.
HB Leisure went on record as saying that it was retraining its staff and outright denied that any of its games were rigged or manipulated. It backed this statement up by saying it had given out more than 100,000 prizes within Thorpe Park in its 2012 season, with 80% of those being obtained by players in the afternoons. It did, however, say that games were made easier at quieter times, which it labelled as “promotional periods” for customers.
Obviously this doesn’t mean all fair ground games are rigged, but it does show they can be corrupted, even in places like Thorpe Park, where you would expect more integrity. There are many independent fairs and pop-up fairs out there that pride themselves on running an honest operation, but at the same time, there are always those looking to make a quick buck too.
Fair ground games are obviously weighted in favour of the operator, just like bookies run margins on odds and casinos have a house edge to ensure they win long term. That said, customers should at least expect a fair chance of winning.
Which Games Are More ‘Rigged’ Than Others?
While it’s possible to fix any fair ground game, some are more likely to be manipulated than others. In fact, seven games have been marked as being the riskiest to play due to the level of rigging that goes on.
These are as follows:
The Milk Bottle Pyramid
The idea behind this fair ground game is to throw a limited number of balls or bean bags at a pyramid of bottles to try and knock them all over. Do this and you’ll win a prize. However, in reality, it’s not as easy as one might think. The bottom bottles can be filled with lead, making them as heavy as 10 pounds each. Therefore, throwing soft balls at them can be futile. Additionally, the bottles may be stacked up against a backdrop curtain, which helps to prevent them from falling down.
The Ring Toss
Simply throw one or more rings over a cone to win a prize, that’s the name of the game with the ring toss. However, often times, the rings are barely a hair wider than the neck of the target. These are also made of hard plastic to increase the level of bounce they have. If the employee demonstrates that this can be done, it could be suggested that they are using larger rings of a different material.
The Basketball Shoot
You’ve probably seen the basketball hoops that you need to throw balls through to win a prize. The carnival rims may be a lot smaller than a normal basketball hoop, though. Furthermore, they could be a lot more oval-shaped than round. Keep in mind that balls may also be over-inflated, in a bid to make them more likely to bounce away.
Hook-a-Duck
This is a favourite fair ground game for younger players, with the goal being to retrieve a plastic duck from a pond with a fishing pole. Nearly everyone is a winner with this one though, right? Well, maybe. The ruse behind Hook-a-Duck is to try and get you to keep playing for the better prize. However, on the bottom of each duck is an indicator of the prize category, with 99% of these being marked as a cheap prize.
The Balloon Dart Throw
The balloons in these games are likely to be underinflated so as to deflect even the best-thrown carnival darts. Keep in mind that those darts are also likely to be a lot lighter than the ones bought in a store. Tips may also be dulled down or snapped off altogether.
Shoot the Star
In this game, you’re given an air gun and you need to try and shoot a pattern around a paper-mounted star so that it falls free. However, the ammo that you’re provided for this is usually smaller than what can be found in normal BB guns. Plus, the rifle’s sights may have been tampered with and air pressure reduced, meaning that many shots simply bounce off of the paper you’re aiming at.
Tubs of Fun
The goal with this one is to throw soft balls into a large tub. Plastic buckets are used in these games though, creating an extra bounce. From inside the booth, the carnival employee tosses a soft ball into the tub, and from his vantage point, it remains inside the tub. He then gives you a second soft ball for a practice throw, which stays in the tub, too. However, once you hand over your money to play, he removes the soft balls and hands them to you. Without the first soft ball – which worked as a deadening ball for the second one thrown (your demo try) – your first ball bounces out.
Improve Your Success Rate on Fair Ground Games
With so many of the fair ground games having the potential to be rigged or manipulated in some way, is it even possible to play them and win? Well, in the first instance, you should always go into gameplay with the mindset that the games are rigged. If a game looks super easy to win, you should assume that it has been manipulated in one way or another.
However, you can protect yourself against fair ground game foul play by watching others play before you put your own money down. Observe other customers and see if you can spot the moment when the employee utilises alternative equipment or enacts some suspicious behaviour. Also, watch to see what sort of strategy has worked for successful players and try to use such yourself.
Don’t assume that you understand how the game itself works, either. Be sure to ask questions on how everything operates and what the rules are surrounding a game. Furthermore, just because Shoot the Star at one fair ground has a set of rules, doesn’t mean that the same game elsewhere has the same set of rules. Before you put your money down, ask the relevant questions.
It’s not uncommon for staff members to demonstrate how easy the games are to win. Ask to use the same equipment that the fair ground employee is using and stand in the same position as them when playing. If the employee refuses and huffs and puffs about it, then it’s likely to be a sign that the game is rigged.
One final thing to remember is that you need to have fun. Some people take carnival games way too seriously and can enter into a rage if they don’t win. If you lose, you lose. This is the same with any sort of game you play. Most of the prizes on offer with fair ground games aren’t even worth the small fee you pay to play, so treat it as entertainment rather than a life or death situation, and never spend more than you are prepared to lose.
Strategies for Fair Ground Games
We have a set of five different strategies and tips that you can put into use when playing fair ground games.
Obviously, you can still lose even if you follow these tips, but they should help.
The Milk Can
The Milk Can game requires you to throw a ball into a milk can from a specific distance. This is a classic fair ground game, but the milk cans aren’t ordinary ones. Usually, fair grounds will utilise a concave piece of steel wielded to the rim of the can, making the hole smaller than the norm. A good strategy to use in this game is to give the ball a bit of a backspin and hit the back of the can’s rim. Throw the ball softly and with little arc.
Rope Ladder
You’ll need to climb to the top of a rope ladder that is liable to twist and turn and send you to the floor swiftly. It looks like such a simple game, but both ends of the ladder are suspended over pivoting pulleys. A great route to take with this game is to make your centre of gravity as wide as possible. Don’t try climbing the ladder flat out, but spread your legs and arms wider.
High Striker
Strong men are famous for hitting high strikers with a huge hammer and making the bell ring. However, strength has little to do with winning the High Striker game. The key is actually technique for this game. You need to hit the pad directly in the centre with some sort of strength and momentum, so swing the mallet just as you would when splitting wood, for example. Be sure that the face of the mallet hits the pad squarely, too.
Shoot the Star
Be sure that you check the size of the star with this game before playing. According to the FBI (yes, that FBI!), the game can be won if the diameter of the star is less than 1 ½ inches. Your chances increase as the star gets smaller. Check the type of paper in use as well, and be sure to make adjustments to suit the gun you’ve been handed to shoot.
Tubs of Fun/Flukey Ball
Flukey ball requires you to bounce a ball off a slanted board and into a basket below, while tubs of fun require you to throw balls into a bucket from a distance. You need to ensure that you’re using the correct balls (the same as the carnival employee during demonstration) and view the basket to ensure it’s actually a doable game. Ask if you can lean as well, because often, carnival employees will allow it.