When I was little, I remember seeing an arcade in the closest big city once, but I was like four and my parents said I wasn't allowed in (of course it cost money and I was too young yet to be alone there in a dark arcade room with lots of older people). I then grew up but never could find a proper arcade anywhere in my country of the Netherlands. For a long time I had no clue why there were not any.
I went to class with a fellow nerd, he talked about how the local video game specialist store used to have a couple of SNK cabinets and he played King of Fighters on it a lot. But then people from the local city government came in and told them it was gambling. I found that so very bizarre.
When a competing video game specialist store opened he had a Virtua Striker cabinet, not even hooked up yet when someone from the local city government came by and told them it was gambling. When asked how they would be allowed to have an arcade game in their store they were told he needed to make the store 18+ and hire an expensive security guard.
Now I finally found why the local city was so strict on it, or at least why they could ban it. In our gambling law, article 30 saying that game machines in which people can win prizes, including the right to play longer for free, are gambling machines, with the same classification as actual gambling machines like video poker or fruit slots.
They made it illegal for something as stupid as being able to play longer, since that is clearly skill, even if the barrels in donkey kong can seem random. For a country famous for it's free laws where prostitution and cannabis smoking are allowed this seems so bizarre.
It all feels like an extra injustice since I saw one an arcade as a kid and was told I needed to get older,, and now I was older they were gone! As to why people would stand for it I don't know. I can't find online documentation but I remember seeing a major update to the gambling law in the 90s, which coincided with the arrival of the 32-bit consoles. So people needed the arcades less and the arcades also began to get less profitable.
There are a few minor arcades where the local city government isn't stupid and sees the difference, but the games aren't really worth visiting.
I do have the day dream fantasy now of finding a place of business which won't mind having an
or an another classic arcade game, even when the inserted coins go to a charity. It would be at least a worthy attempt if they insist
is gambling if the inserted coins go to a serious charity. If they insist on you removing it in spite of it being for charity, a newspaper might want to report on it being so stupid..
