UPDATE: Bar employee wins iPad in claw machine but can't retrieve it: 'I am the proud owner of a new iPad that I only paid $5 for'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Sep 25, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

Have you ever walked past one of those arcade games that feature really expensive prizes inside, like shoes, electronics, and pricey jewelry? I can recall a time when those things were choc-full of iPods! That was very cute at the time. And these days, the prizes have kept up with the times. Someone with the right skill set could win an iPad, an iPhone, a nice watch, or some new Nikes. 

I've always been kind of skeptical of those games, though. Most arcade games are built to con suckers into giving the machine all of the cash in their wallet. The makers of the machines obviously don't want their customers to win — they just want them to think they're so close to winning that they just need to play one more time, and that'll net them the biggest prize possible! It's only a few dollars, right? Well, if you play for long enough, you've soon wasted $50 or $100 (or more!) with nothing to show for it. And surely the people who put the prizes in the machine don't plan on most people actually winning them! So I've always wondered if that would even be remotely possible. 

Well, this person has answered my question. They won an iPad from one of these machines! (My follow-up question would be: is it a name-brand iPad? But it does seem to be legitimate.) I'm truly so happy for them! They got a brand new iPad for just a few dollars. What an incredible story! I want them to continue to play and practice at work at see if they can't win a second electronic device just for the fun of it. 

Next up, read these stories of people who totally misread social cues and acted so awkward, like one person who 'Bumped into an older gentleman by mistake... I just shouted, "Are you sorry?!"'

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  • 01

    "Won an iPad out of one of those key master arcade games, it got stuck"

    Google Pixel We LTE 4 ped! echo ch Gr
    via u/amityville_w****

    So close, yet so far! 

  • 02

    The employee explained their situation

    This is at a bar i used to work at, and I used to constantly try to win the iPad when I worked here regularly. I picked up a random shift tonight and decided I was gonna try again because why not. I did in fact win it, but it got stuck on the way out.
    via u/amityville_w****
  • 03

    Update:

    So I called the vending company again yesterday to follow up, and apparently there had been a mixup. Because I stated that I was an employee when i first called, apparently they thought i was just calling to have someone come get the ipad unstuck and put it back in the machine (which, LOL???). I told them no, I am the person who won it, and I would like to have it lol. They told me they'd mail it out to me. I didn't have high hopes, but IT CAME IN
    via u/amityville_w****
  • 04
    THE MAIL TODAY! Which is crazy that it got here that quickly considering I just called them yesterday, but I officially am the proud owner of a new iPad that I only paid $5 for.
    via u/amityville_w****
  • 05
    Also, the internet is a h I hole lol some of ya'll were so ride on the other post for literally no reason. Touch grass, you don't have to comment on everything you see on the internet.
    via u/amityville_w****
  • 06

    Here it is!

    Cheezburger Image 10557503744
    via u/amityville_w****

    Congratulations, you're living out every arcade player's dream!

  • 07
    Crafty_Letterhead671 Well get the keys and open it cuz you did win for and square. Trust and believe I'd shake that sh frl.
    via u/Crafty_Letterhead671
  • 08
    Young woman with hair in ponytail, wearing tan dress, puts finger to temple in thought, with arcade background
    via Ashwin Tanjore on Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 09
    amityville_whore OP replied to Crafty_Letterhead671 We don't have the keys because it's a third party company. I did call them though and they usually come out to service the machines on Sundays anyways so hopefully I'll get it tomorrow. We definitely tried shaking it lol it's just really wedged in there
    via u/amityville_w****
  • 10
    c_r_a_s_i_a_n CONGRATS HAPPY FOR YOU STARECAT.COM NICE
    via u/c_r_a_s_i_a_n
  • 11
    patricksaurus I was not especially convinced it would work out, but I'm very glad for you.
    via u/patricksaurus
  • 12
    MarkxPrice I won an Xbox 360 out of a Stacker game two months after it came out. Best dollar I've ever gambled
    via u/MarkxPrice
  • 13
    hewasaraverboy That's lit but honestly I'm surprised Would've thought their response would be "if it didn't fall out of the machine then you didn't actually win it "
    via u/hewasaraverboy
  • 14
    Young woman with hair pulled back in ponytail wearing tan dress with buttons, putting one hand to temple and looking unhappy
    via Daniele La Rosa Messina on Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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claw machine games arcade claw ipad prizes prize
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