Hong Kong customs vows to investigate claims by player that Jumpin Gym USA rainbow coin-toss game impossible to win
- Player named Jason alleges he spent HK$2,000 on tokens for game requiring coin toss from distance and having it land squarely within rainbow stripe
- After clashing with staff over game, he says: ‘No matter how we play, we cannot win’
Hong Kong customs has vowed to investigate fraud allegations against a popular indoor arcade chain after a player said it was impossible to win a coin-tossing game, a claim the operator has denied.
Arcade operator Jumpin Gym USA on Tuesday said it deeply regretted the customer’s “false accusations”.
The player, who only gave his name as Jason, alleged that the design of the Jumpin Gym USA rainbow coin-toss game made it impossible to win, after clashing with staff at a branch in Tuen Mun’s Waldorf Garden shopping centre on Saturday.
Jason, who said he played the game up to four times a week, told a radio show on Monday that he had reported the arcade operator to the Customs and Excise Department and Consumer Council for alleged fraud and breach of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
Jason said he had spent 2,000 tokens, equivalent to about HK$2,000 (US$255), on the game, where players must toss a coin from a distance and land it squarely within a rainbow stripe without touching the edges.
He alleged the two sides of the rainbow arch had a narrowing width, which was smaller than the coin’s diameter.
“Every time I land it on the green stripe, the staff say my coin is touching the borders,” he argued.
After playing for 1½ hours, he said he felt the staff had ruled unfairly and demanded they demonstrate how the coins should land to count as a win.
However, they were unable to do so after multiple attempts, which led Jason to claim that the coin was wider than the rainbow’s stripe.
“No matter how we play, we cannot win … Frankly, Jumpin Gym USA is like a casino,” he told the programme. “The rules say we will lose if the coin touches the borders, but they didn’t state that we will always lose if we aim for the sides of the rainbow.”
Winners of Jumpin Gym games collect tickets which they can exchange for a wide range of gifts.
“We must emphasise that every zone of the rainbow – red, green, yellow and blue – is larger than the token, and there is no situation in which the token is larger than the rainbow zone,” the arcade operator said on Tuesday.
Customs on Monday confirmed it had received a report from the man, adding that every case would be investigated individually based on the situation and related evidence.
“The Customs and Excise Department will carry out investigations and take legal action if the company is found to be violating the Trade Descriptions Ordinance,” a spokesman said.
Under the ordinance, any operator convicted of providing false descriptions of products or services to consumers faces a maximum fine of HK$500,000 and five years in jail.
The Consumer Council did not confirm to the Post if it had received a report, saying it did not reveal complaints against individual businesses.
If a business is suspected of breaching the Trade Description Ordinance, the council will refer the case to customs, it added.
Police confirmed they received a call from a 21-year-old man surnamed Liu at around 5pm on Saturday arguing with arcade staff over game results.
No one was injured and the case was handled as a dispute after investigations, they added.
The incident came to light when a user named Liu Tsz-hin posted about it on a Facebook group on Saturday.
Established in 1994, Hong Kong-based Jumpin Gym USA is one of the city’s most popular indoor gaming chains, with 48 branches.
