Say goodbye to some fun and games in Singapore.

Illegal

Vending machines offering mystery prizes have been deemed illegal, the Singapore police said on Thursday, Aug. 16 when it issued a public advisory against these machines.

The way these machines work is to dispense random prizes upon receipt of cash payments starting from S$5.

However, the problem lies with the way the goods are being sold.

This is so as the goods dispensed are concealed.

"Operating such machines is a form of public lottery, and it is an offence under Section 5(a) of the Common Gaming Houses Act," the police said.

Police have already advised some of the existing merchants to cease operations.

Those found guilty of operating such machines face a prison term of up to five years, and can also be fined between S$20,000 and S$200,000.

The machines are being pulled out of shopping malls throughout Singapore.

The game is popular in Taiwan, China and Malaysia.

Small change of winning big prizes

Merchants often claim that prizes such as a smartphone or gaming console can be won.

One merchant interviewed by The Straits Times, said the chance of winning the top prize stands at 3 percent.

The same merchant also questioned the rationale for the mystery prize machine being outlawed now, as similar games have been available since decades ago, but those "tikam tikam" machines offered cheaper and smaller prizes at neighbourhood shops.

Most of the time, the goods dispensed these days are low cost items, such as fidget spinners, pouches and power banks.

The thrill of the game is in opening the boxes to unveil the contents as a surprise.

One of the merchants affected is Heybox, which has more than 15 machines islandwide at malls such as Bugis Junction, Nex and Bukit Panjang Plaza.

It is understood those merchants affected will work with the malls' management to ensure future concepts abide by all laws.

There is also no mention of the status of such games that are offered online.

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