Documentation about everyday arcades

The Hessische Rundfunk (HR) clears up with its documentary about arcades with clichés and prejudices. The journalist Anne-Katrin Eutin worked for the contribution that is available in the media library of the state media facility as a service person in a arcade in Oberursel for seven day. In this way, she had the opportunity to win authentic impressions of the visitors, processes and structures as well as through gambling.

Objective view

Gambling is in public perception connected to many negative properties and enjoy accordingly a rather bad reputation. Many people link the industry, players and also the arcades with widespread clichés and prejudices. An objective basis is usually completely missing. The HR and journalist Anne-Katrin Eutin want to change this with documentation “7 days in the arcade”.

Disguised as a service force of a casino in Oberursel, Eutin has ed the visitors to the venue and clears up with the prejudice of the nationwide gambling addiction. In the documentation she has conversations with players And even gambles on the machines.

The entire contribution can already be Media library of the HR to be streamed. On Sunday, May 29th, the documentary will also be for the first time broadcast on the regular television program.

Gambling addiction in USA. Gambling can become addicted. This is well known and the industry makes no secret of it – on the contrary. In USA, very strict regulations and processes have been in effect since the new state of gambling in order to ensure the best possible way to play player and youth protection in arcades and in other gambling facilities.

No more clichés

The documentary draws an authentic picture of everyday life in a arcade and awards the protagonist who mostly in public perception can be discredited without a valid basis, one vote. Through the talks between Eutin and the visitors to the venue, it becomes clear that people maintain a connection to gambling for very different motives. The often rumored picture of the “gambler” is invalidated accordingly.

The audience that visits the arcade in Oberursel in the seven days of documentation consists of young women, a family mother with a dog and a retired civil servant and wife. They all see both a hobby and a balance in gambling. The gaming at the machines symbolizes for most arcade visitors A personal break.

Eutin speaks in the documentary, among other things, to Erik, one of the guests of the venue. He introduces himself as a restaurateur and tells of his relationship with gambling. Because of his profession, he usually visits the game library in the morning. Playing on the machines is for him His personal relaxation program.

Game behavior under control. In conversation between Eutin and Erik, gambling addiction also becomes the topic. The journalist wants to know how he controls his game behavior. He always visits the arcade with a counted sum. That is part of his self -regulation. He didn’t want to spend all his money on gambling.

Player protection is very important

The measures that are taken by the arcade in Oberursel also take an important topic in the documentation to the visitors to protect from the potential dangers of gambling. Eutin is explained by Christoph Schwarzer, the operator of the venue, that missions, profits and losses are all regulated precisely.

Visitors can make a maximum profit of 400 $ per hour. The loss limit is 60 $ . In this context, according to Schwarzer, it is important to control your own game behavior. For this reason, guests have to go to the machines after an hour Forced break of five minutes. This is intended to enforce a “cooling phase”.

Control over game behavior. Controlling over the game behavior is firmly anchored in the new Gaming State Treaty. This has been in effect since July 2021 and has installed some new rules in this area. For example, the automatic game of slots is prohibited. Spins are also limited to one euro and are responsible for a short interruption before the rollers turn again on the display.

As part of the document, a View of the Oasis blocking systemthat should serve as a superordinate protection body. The spectators are explained how the system works exactly and what weaknesses it has. So Oasis is not used in all facilities that have a gambling offer – e.g. restaurants.

With her contribution, Anne-Katrin Eutin and Hessischer Rundfunk are likely taken an important step to fight against the prevailing prejudices and clichés about gambling.