A California mother of two is suing Chuck E. Cheese Pizza for $5 million, claiming that the family restaurant's arcade games transform kids into gamblers. Debbie Keller, who has 3- and 5-year-old children, says many of the chain's games are essentially kiddie slot machines, spitting out winnings — in this case, tickets redeemable for prizes — based on chance rather than skill. Keller's lawyers say the games "create the same highs and lows experienced by adults who gamble their paychecks or the mortgage payment." Chuck's lawyers counter that the games harm no one and break no laws. Is Chuck E. Cheese essentially a casino for kids?
Yes, Chuck E. Cheese is a Vegas-like scam: "It's time to crown a new hero in the mom world," says Jeanne Sager at The Stir. Keller is right that many Chuck E. Cheese machines are games of chance. When kids can't win enough tickets to "pick up their piece of plastic junk," they end up shrieking, forcing parents to buy game tokens until their offspring hits the jackpot — it's the only way to "get yourself to somewhere more pleasant, somewhere with wine."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why are sinkholes becoming more common?Podcast Plus, will Saudi investment help create the "Netflix of sport"? And why has New Zealand's new tourism campaign met with a savage reception?
-
How Poland became Europe's military powerThe Explainer Warsaw has made its armed forces a priority as it looks to protect its borders and stay close to the US
-
Quiz of The Week: 15 - 21 FebruaryHave you been paying attention to The Week's news?
