RIO DE JANEIRO — Rio de Janeiro — already notorious for street muggings, corrupt politicians, ruthless militias and Kalashnikov-toting drug traffickers — has a new public enemy: plushies. Or, more specifically, the joystick-controlled claw machines that dispense them.
On Wednesday, Rio police carried out 16 search warrants targeting the machines that elicit exhilaration among children and adults alike. But police said the claw machines defraud users who believe scoring stuffed animals to be a test of skill. In fact, they are games of chance — just like slot machines — and therefore illegal, according to their press office.Officers seized claw machines, laptops, tablets, cell phones, a firearm and — yes — furry friends.
She likes the low-investment adrenaline rush and, by her own account, she's a talented clawmaster who has honed her techniques to maximize success, from scouting the stuffed animal landscape to precise positioning of the claw. She treasures a manatee with jaguar spots that she pulled in on a trip to the nation's capital with friends.'When I pass by a machine, I give it a look to see if there's a stuffed animal that makes it worth it to play,' she told The Associated Press.
De Janeiro Police Seize On New Target: Hard-To-Grasp Stuffed Animals
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Rio N. Araja, Author at Manila StandardDefining the News
Read more »
Plaything or peril? Brazilian kites endangering lives, prompting push for national banRIO DE JANEIRO — Two groups of men stood on opposite rooftops perched on a hillside overlooking Rio de Janeiro's Ipanema beach, taunting one another. It was a macho showdown between opponents wielding unlikely weapons — kites.
Read more »
What caused the recent running boom in the Philippines, according to Coach RioLatest Philippine news from GMA News and 24 Oras. News, weather updates and livestreaming on Philippine politics, regions, showbiz, lifestyle, science and tech.
Read more »
Luxury jets and evacuation centersA LATE July meeting of the G20 economies in Rio de Janeiro resulted in an agreement that was unprecedented in the fiscal history of nations.
Read more »
Sulu and its long and hard-fought freedomSecond of three parts
Read more »
Bold innovation on an iconic drink: Pepsico launches hard mountain dew in the PhilippinesDefining the News
Read more »