BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 RUMOR CONFIRMED From Doctor Disney... Tomorrowland Arcade Closing Soon – Disney Getting Rid Of All Claw Machines, Video Game PrizesJanuary 12, 2015 by Doctor Disney Leave a Comment It appears as if some changes are coming to the arcades at Walt Disney World, and some are blaming it on Florida’s ban on Internet cafes. The changes will include taking claw machines and prize redemption centers out of resort arcades and even closing the big Tomorrowland Arcade next to Space Mountain. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Tomorrowland Arcade is set to close on Feb. 8, 2015, to make way for a larger gift shop outside of Space Mountain. Now, some sources of mine that work in that area are not aware of this happening yet and Disney has not yet announced it either. Disney has said that they will be shutting down claw machines and ticket redemption counters, but wouldn’t acknowledge why. It is believed that the Florida 2013 legislation banning Internet cafes is the reason. Chuck E. Cheese’s and Dave & Buster’s have already been sued for reportedly violating the law. Per the Sentinel:“I’m sure Disney’s the last place in the world that wants to get accused of operating a gambling house,” said Michael Wolf, an attorney representing the Florida Arcade and Bingo Association. The law spells out that people can’t win more than 75 cents’ worth of prizes for each game played, and that the games have to be operated by coins. Like many other family entertainment centers, Disney’s arcades are activated by cards. With each game they play, people can accumulate credits on the cards that can be exchanged for things such as Hello Kitty plush toys, Disney princess purses and mini-air-hockey games. James Harhi, whose company JFH Technologies fills and maintains arcade games at the resort, said Disney told him “it’s in their best interest to close these,” because it fears legislation could be interpreted as outlawing the video games with prizes. Harhi said that because Disney is removing so many machines that dispense prizes, he is laying off several of his company’s employees, who make $15 to $17 an hour. Two have already been let go, he said, and he will probably have to lay off two or three more. Disney is not laying off any of its own workers. A union representative said 22 employees who staff the counters are being put in other positions in mid-February. Already, the Note’able Games arcade at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort has gotten rid of its redemption counter. Disney still has the prize counters in five other hotels, including the Contemporary, All-Star Sports, All-Star Movies, Pop Century and Art of Animation. The Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland Arcade is closing Feb. 8, and games from there will be going into the hotel arcades to replace the ones that issue prizes for points. The impending removal of prizes “kind of stinks,” said Johannah Palasky of Philadelphia, whose 8-year-old son, Connell, played in the Contemporary’s Game Station last week. The Contemporary’s Game Station offers dozens of electronic games, including Pac-Man, Frogger and Monopoly, and many of them issue electronic “tickets” for prizes. The more tickets you get, the better the gifts.Connell wanted to save up points on his card for one of the bigger rewards. “My son loves it,” Johanna Palasky said. He wins “average arcade stuff, but they’re happy to get anything.”State Sen. Kelli Stargel, a Lakeland Republican, filed legislation last week that would loosen restrictions on family entertainment centers, including allowing machines to be operated by cards, not just coins, and increasing the allowed value of prizes. Stargel tried passing similar legislation last year, but it did not make it through the Legislature. Stargel, whose district includes Disney World, said Disney’s lobbyists had not spoken with her about the issue. Stargel said she had spoken with other businesses, including one in her district, along with Chuck E. Cheese and Dave & Buster’s. Those chains still offer prizes. Mike Abecassis, who owns several family entertainment centers called GameTime in Florida, said he hopes Disney might wait to remove the machines in hopes the legislation will pass. “We’d prefer for them to not take that away,” he said. “It just makes our business less relevant in the state.”The 2013 ban on Internet cafes came in the wake of a multistate probe into Allied Veterans of the World, an operator that billed itself as a charitable organization for veterans but which gave only about 2 percent of its profits to veterans groups. The legislation also limited arcades that catered to senior citizens and offered low-stakes bets and paid off in things such as Publix gift cards. Many of those “senior arcades” — represented by the Florida Arcade and Bingo Association — ended up closing. Wolf, the arcade and bingo association’s attorney, has subsequently filed lawsuits against places such as Dave & Buster’s. Those are on hold pending the results of a related federal lawsuit, he said. “For the Legislature to think gambling for kids is OK but not for adults was pretty hypocritical,” he said. “That was essentially what we were setting out to show.” Shortly after the law passed, the arcade association also sent an investigator to check out Disney’s hotel arcades. The investigator, Carlos De Varona, made a complaint to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office about the games. A report said the Sheriff’s Office contacted the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, which said there were no gaming-law violations. Suing Disney, said arcade association President Gale Fontaine, would have been “like trying to go after Goliath.” Still, Disney is likely showing “an abundance of caution” by getting rid of games for prizes, said David Ramba, a lobbyist who used to represent the arcade association. “If I was their lobbyist, I would have told them to get rid of the machines too,” Ramba said. http://www.doctordisney.com/2015/01/12/tomorrowland-arcade-closing-soon-disney-getting-rid-claw-machines-video-game-prizes/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 What the Fort? Chuck E Cheese is gambling?!?! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 This week's sign of the continued wussification of our society. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
h2odivers...Ray 952 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I think I've been in it once. So I don't think I'm gonna miss it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beckers 1,136 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Ridiculous. But I don't see how chuck e cheese is gambling. Every game gives you 4 tickets, regardless of how well you do. So it's not really a game of chance. Plus a ticket is worth .01 so it's not even close to their under .75 ruleOur favorite shore doesn't allow gambling so the arcades there are just for fun and do not award tickets and the crane games are play until you win. They also can't have wheels to bet on a number to win. I wonder why Disney isn't fighting it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Dang it! I meant to go in there and play skee ball last trip and I forgot. I love skee ball. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Another case of legislation run amok. When will they learn making this stuff illegal does nothing but drive it underground and stops innocent games such as you have at WDW. OK off my soap box before I get in trouble. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LONE-STAR 370 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I never understood why you would go to the MK to play video games and it was there when I was a kid. Now the old Contempoary Arcade was awesome. Travisma 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I never understood why you would go to the MK to play video games and it was there when I was a kid. Now the old Contempoary Arcade was awesome.Perhaps to give the kids that can't ride something to do while the family rides (that earns them some money) I dunno Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Memphis 105 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 There is a whole room full of these kind of games at Disney Quest. I never saw anyone actually playing them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Another case of legislation run amok. When will they learn making this stuff illegal does nothing but drive it underground and stops innocent games such as you have at WDW. OK off my soap box before I get in trouble. I don't think there is any amok legislation. There was a proliferation of "Internet Cafés" here in Florida a couple of years ago. These were basically poor man's casinos. The organized gambling lobby, including the Seminole Tribe, didn't like the competition, so all places offering "prizes" for "games of chance" had to go. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WannaBeImagineer 98 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 It's funny, up until this last trip I had never looked around this gift shop/arcade. I always walked straight out from Space Mountain, honestly I hardly even looked to my right, but this past trip me and the little guy walked all around in there. I had no idea that room was so big, but it was almost completely empty the Friday after Thanksgiving, so no big deal. Close it and put something else there. WBI Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I don't think there is any amok legislation. There was a proliferation of "Internet Cafés" here in Florida a couple of years ago. These were basically poor man's casinos. The organized gambling lobby, including the Seminole Tribe, didn't like the competition, so all places offering "prizes" for "games of chance" had to go. TCD The same thing happened here in NC with Internet Cafes and the Cherokee although it was pitched as a way to protect people from the evils of gambling. I don't remember specifically seeing this but seem to recall the state lottery doing some lobbying against computer gaming too. It seems they go after teh same player base. The thing is it didn't stop a lot of these folks from gambling. All it did was drive them to offshore internet sites that there is no possibility of monitoring or regulating. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LONE-STAR 370 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Perhaps to give the kids that can't ride something to do while the family rides (that earns them some money) I dunnoWell that is true. That's where my parent waited with my little girl but nobody put any money in the games. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Last year when we visited with Miracle and Red, I couldn't believe how many people were in there paying for games. Geez, people, you're in the Magic Kingdom. Can't you find anything else better to do? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 This rumor was true. The Space Mountain arcade closed last week. There is a solid wall built across where the entrances to the arcade from the gift shop used to be. While the wall has been erected, the games are still in the arcade, and can be seen through the big round windows visible from the Peoplemover. The photo booths and massage chairs have been moved out into the far corners of the gift shop. TCD BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
h2odivers...Ray 952 Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 Ridiculous!!!Its not legislation run amok. It seems to me like laziness. They could easily excluded arcade prize redemption machines and claw machines from the legislation. Kids love those arcades. Does this mean that state fair midways are going to be closed next. All those are games of chance. What happens to all those employees if Chuckee Cheese, Dave & Busters, and other similar businesses are forced to close?We had the same thing happen here in oklahoma but they only banned the machines that paid out gift or phone cards. They didn't ban claw or redemption machines. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Oh, I rode the train last night, and there is a window you can see into from the train at the Tomorrowland "Arcade". You can see the machines still there, but can also see the "wall" where they blocked it off from the rest of the store. On the "inside" of the store, they've built a bar with stools in front and lots of plugs for charging things. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted February 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 On the "inside" of the store, they've built a bar with stools in front and lots of plugs for charging things. Interesting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 594 Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Well that is true. That's where my parent waited with my little girl but nobody put any money in the games.When DS was of toddler and preschool age he had no clue you had to put money in to play arcade games. We would put him up there and let him "play" the game then when someone came by who wanted to play we would tell him his turn was over. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted February 18, 2015 Report Share Posted February 18, 2015 Oh, I rode the train last night, and there is a window you can see into from the train at the Tomorrowland "Arcade". You can see the machines still there, but can also see the "wall" where they blocked it off from the rest of the store. On the "inside" of the store, they've built a bar with stools in front and lots of plugs for charging things. According to the TCD twins, this charging station in the Space Mountain gift shop has been here for a while. These photos were taken on February 8th, which was before they walled off the arcade: If you need to charge something, this is a nice air conditioned space, and is not as well known as the Storybook Circus and Rapunzel bathroom charging areas. TCD BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted February 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2015 Making a note of that in case there is another 24 hour day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted February 18, 2015 Report Share Posted February 18, 2015 Making a note of that in case there is another 24 hour day. You'll need a FP+ for that on a 24 hour day. TCD BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AuburnJen 771 Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 Ridiculous.But I don't see how chuck e cheese is gambling. Every game gives you 4 tickets, regardless of how well you do. So it's not really a game of chance. Plus a ticket is worth .01 so it's not even close to their under .75 ruleOur favorite shore doesn't allow gambling so the arcades there are just for fun and do not award tickets and the crane games are play until you win. They also can't have wheels to bet on a number to win.I wonder why Disney isn't fighting it?because they will make more money on the gift shop they put there to replace it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 According to the TCD twins, this charging station in the Space Mountain gift shop has been here for a while. These photos were taken on February 8th, which was before they walled off the arcade: If you need to charge something, this is a nice air conditioned space, and is not as well known as the Storybook Circus and Rapunzel bathroom charging areas. TCDNever mind.... I was looking at it differently Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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