Taipei's Shilin Night Market claw machines described as 'complete fraud'

台北士林夜市夾娃娃機被形容為“完全詐騙

Japanese TV show investigation was not kind about win-rate on popular arcade machine


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Claw machines at Taipei's Shilin Night Market were described as a "complete fraud" in a recent Japanese TV variety show.

The Fuji TV program "Open Pandora's Box Untouchable TV" was hosted by actress Saki Aibu (相武紗季). It investigated what is commonly referred to as Taiwan's biggest and best night market — although its reputation has taken a hit in recent years.

After sampling tasty treats and checking out some of the entertainment, the show hosts explored what they called the night market's dark side. The claw machine they tried was described as "extremely annoying."

They detailed how the cuddly animal they were trying to capture seemed to fly in the opposite direction when it was heading to the escape chute. Just four in 200 attempts proved successful, and the claw machine arcade was described as a "complete fraud!" according to a SETN report on Wednesday (Nov. 1).

This report also looked at the claw machine business of Taiwanese influencer Cao Ye (草爺). He revealed that claw machine owners in Taiwan, unlike Japan, will set up their machines to make a guaranteed amount in order to protect their capital investment.

He also called Shilin Night Market a "warzone" in terms of rent. "Costs are very high and I do not dare spend money there myself," he was quoted as saying.

Shilin Night Market has been in the news over recent years for scams and bad deals, with Round Taiwan Round saying that "most Taiwanese people would avoid going there."

"It is crowded with tourists, the food is overly priced, and most restaurants are nothing to write home about. What's worse is that, after all the vendors were relocated indoors and Chinese tourists started to flood here, the variety is getting less and the quality is getting lower and lower," it added.