ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Its an amusement park staple with a dedicated fan base. But how often does anyone really win at the claw machine?One New Jersey lawmaker has the same question and wants the state to consider more oversight over the game.Critics maintain the game is easy to rig, noting operators can set the payout odds and control the strength of the joystick-controlled claw to determine whether a prize can be retrieved. They also claim that players rarely capture any of the big prizes that the games offer.But industry officials dispute those claims. They say its in arcades best interests to have customers win prizes, because if theyre not getting anything over time they likely wont want to play anymore.Many players admit reservations but mostly put them aside because its a lot of fun, and most say they have won something -- usually a stuffed animal or small toy.Among them are Margie Torres, of Camden, and her 11-year-old son, Rafael Hernandez, who agree that winning seems impossible at times.As they fed dollar bills into machines at an Atlantic City arcade during a family outing, Rafael said he knew he was facing long odds in his bid to claim a big prize.Its impossible to get because when it goes, it grabs it, and when it picks it up, right when it hits the top, it just drops, the boy said while trying to win a GoPro camera, eventually leaving empty-handed.The claw and crane games are ubiquitous at the Jersey shore, and amusement parks, movie theaters and even retailers nationwide. Players say they are lured by the challenge and thrill of snaring a prize big or small.New Jersey state Sen. Nicholas Scutari recently introduced legislation calling for more oversight of the claw game, which he feels targets young children who think they can easily snatch a big prize.No hearings have been scheduled.Most states consider the claw machines games of chance and specifically exempt them from gambling statutes, as long as they comply with certain rules specific to those states.The claw games in New Jersey are already regulated by the states Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission , which oversees the amusement industry. Its inspectors make the rounds at arcades, boardwalks, fairs and carnivals across the state to ensure games are being operated fairly and standards are met.The measure proposed by Scutari would add mechanical and programming specifications needed for claw machines to ensure a player has reasonable odds of obtaining a prize.Difficult is one thing, completely rigged is another, Scutari said. We just want to make sure its a level playing field.According to industry officials, its in arcades best interests to have customers win. They say thats the only way to keep them coming back, although any parent whos reached into their pocket for yet another dollar bill to fulfill their kids wish to try again -- and again and again -- to capture that (insert name of silly toy here) may disagree.Our association says the more you give away, the better it is for people, so the idea that theyre rigged is wrong, said Edward R. McGlynn, of the New Jersey Amusement Association , a trade group.If you dont give away prizes, people eventually wont want to play the game. The commission has done an excellent job over the years in weeding out bad operators.Jeremy Hambly, a claw game aficionado from the Milwaukee area whose ClawStruck YouTube channel shows how many different models work, notes that most modern day machines have sophisticated programming that allows the operator to predetermine their profit.Operators should have to publicly post the odds on a machine, Hambly said, like odds printed on lottery tickets.I dont want people to not play claw machines, Hambly said via electronic message. I want them to play the right ones, because a fairly set claw machine is skill based and is one of the purest forms of fun out there. 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Bobby Jenks Jersey .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- We celebrate Allen Iverson for his authenticity and then, as his sport bestowed its highest honor on him Friday night, he deceived us.We thought he held it together during his Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement speech. He started off with watery eyes and voice even more gravelly?than normal, then he seemed to gain strength as he powered through a half-hours worth of memories and appreciation. But we couldnt see what was happening behind the podium.My legs were shaking the whole time, Iverson confided after the ceremony that featured him, Shaquille ONeal, Yao Ming, Sheryl Swoopes and Tom Izzo.It was so important to him that he get this right, that he thank everyone who helped him get here. The whole thing still felt so surreal to him, even after it was over, even as he clutched the Hall of Fame trophy that he can add to the Hall of Fame ring and Hall of Fame jacket he picked up this week -- evidence upon evidence that he belongs among the all-time greats in his sport.He stood in a stairwell, just off the Springfield Symphony Hall stage, waiting for the go-ahead to exit the building and climb into an SUV for the after-party. Whatever poise he had summoned to get through his speech was gone now. I covered Iverson throughout his two seasons at Georgetown and covered him in the NBA Finals and I had never seen him look like this, so bewildered, so ... shook.Thats the thing with Iverson: You never knew when the emotions might pour out.He really came unglued the night before, during the annual dinner for the weeks other honorees. Chris Paul, who received an award for community service along with Jalen Rose and Tubby Smith, became emotional himself upon his first visit to the Hall of Fame, overwhelmed by how small his place felt in the grand history of the sport. Paul looked down the stage at Iverson seated at a table in the front row and recalled how he once wanted to be like him, to the point he begged his mom to buy him a pair of Iversons signature Reebok shoes. That did it for Iverson, who buried his face in his hand and started crying. It wasnt the first time he had heard a story like that, but listening to a great player like Paul describe how much Iverson meant to him, well, that got to Iverson.When it was his turn to speak Friday night, Iverson had a chance to tell his three Hall of Fame presenters how much they meant to him.He thanked Georgetown coach John Thompson for saving my life, for giving me the opportunity.He distilled his oft-contentious relationship with coach Larry Brown down to its most important element: Once I started to listen to him the way Im supposed to and was coached by him, thats when I became an MVP.He paid his highest compliments to Julius Erving: Just a great, great man. Handsome, old-school dude too.The rest of his speech followed a traditional template but with a distinct Iverson flare. His thank-yous to his friends included shoutouts to Jughead, Stanky Wanky and Stump. He invoked imagery from the CChappelles Show Rick James sketches to describe his first encounter with Michael Jordan.dddddddddddd And in a Hall of Fame first, he said, I want to thank Biggie Smalls, Redman, Jadakiss, Tupac and Michael Jackson for being my theme music throughout my career.Iverson was struck by the same realization that hits so many people at the moment of their greatest individual recognition: Its the product of almost everyone but them.Izzo took it a step further, thanking not only his family, his mentors and his players, but the game of basketball itself.Its allowed so many of us to live our wildest dreams, Izzo said.Because of the sport, Izzo has traveled the world, met presidents, even played a game aboard an aircraft carrier.Basketball can be humbling, Izzo said. Its taught me to laugh, to celebrate victory. Its also taught me to cry and handle defeat with class. Shaq could have taken his show-closing speech in a number of different ways, but he opted for funny. (Shaq loves making fun of Iversons practice rant, but Yao beat Shaq to it when he led off with a wisecrack that Iverson should have made the first speech, because Yao needed more time to practice). A friend of Shaqs said Shaq chose to go the funny route in part as a defense mechanism to avoid getting too emotional. So Shaq riffed on his sage-burning coach Phil Jackson, who once told him sage is the cousin of cannabis, so Starting today, Phil and I will be opening medicinal sage dispensaries across the country.He zinged his old ally/rival Kobe Bryant, calling him a guy that pushed me and helped me win three titles in a row. ... He also helped me get pushed off the team and get me traded.It felt like something out of a roast.He squeezed in one last retort to the chorus of critics he heard during his career, whom he quoted in a whiny voice as saying, Shaq, bend your knees. Shaq, concentrate. Shaq, play defense:Shut up.He recalled the unprintable name his high school coaches always called him. He told a humorous tale of the time he drew unexpected inspiration from Dick Vitale. He talked about the time he did a Buick commercial, even though he couldnt really fit in the car.Hey, they paid me $3 million, Shaq said. What, you want me to say no?No, we want you to keep being Shaq, just like we want Iverson to be Iverson, Yao to be Yao.Yao gave such a stellar speech in his second language that the one time he stumbled and apologized, the crowd gave him a rousing cheer of appreciation/encouragement.These players personalities were always as important as their game, to the point that it didnt feel sad that theyre no longer capable of duplicating the highlights that played in their introductory videos. Theyre still capable of making us relate to them or laugh with them thanks to their words.Most of all, Iverson still grabs us with his persistence in the face of his own vulnerability. Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Hockey Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys China Wholesale Baseball Jerseys China Wholesale College Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys Near Me Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic MLB Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Throwback Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China ' ' '