SEGA is getting sued for their “rigged” Key Master arcade machine

SEGA seems to be getting themselves in some hot water with their arcade machines yet again. If you’ve traversed the wild terrains of a movie theater, Dave & Busters, or Six Flags, you may have seen Key Master. It’s those giant, white machines with the glittery holes behind the glass windows. Their prizes ranged from iPads and PlayStations, to Gunnar Glasses and Captain America figurines.

Since at least 2013, there have been claims that Key Master was not a game of skill, but actually rigged. Unsuspecting moviegoers might be dropping their coins into the machine, thinking they can get that iPad with some dexterity and eagle-eyed intuition. Key Master seemingly allows a winner based on the number the machine operator puts in. You might not get a chance to win the prize of your dreams until you try number 1,546.

On Monday, Marcelo Muto filed a lawsuit, looking for $5 million in damages to “wronged consumers”. SEGA, Play It! Amusements, and Komuse America are part of the lawsuit. This is what Muto wrote in the lawsuit:

“Nowhere on the Key Master Machine do Defendants inform consumers of the truth: that the machines are rigged so that players can only win prizes at certain times…Defendants have refused to cease their deceptive conduct and continue to manufacture and advertise the Key Master Machines as games of skill, as opposed to the illicit gambling machines they truly are…This refusal, and continued marketing of the Key Master Machines as games of skill, only serve the profit interests of Defendants.”

Marcelo Muto

According to Polygon, Key Master is no longer listed on SEGA Amusements’ website. Now, a machine with a similar design called Prize Locker, has replaced it. In the features, SEGA claims this arcade machine is “100% skill”. Polygon states SEGA, SEGA Amusements, and Komuse have not responded to their request for comment.

The Key Master machine is still in circulation in the United States. YouTube channel Claw Craziness created a video on “beating” this elusive arcade game. According to them, it’s all in the positioning of the key when it touches the glittery plastic part.

We’ll keep you posted on the story as it develops.