How do the games and claw machines at the night markets work?

What I don’t understand are all those claw machine game stores opening up all over the place in the most unusual places.

Scooter repair shop…mom and pop hardware store…kid’s claw machine game shop…bin lang stand…scooter repair shop.

It is weird. And I never see any kids in there.

My wife told me that they are laundering money.

his wife had spent NT$6,000, half the family’s monthly allotment for food purchases, on the machines within a few days

Most of the crap in those machines can be had for a hundred NT at any cheap toy store.