Is it a crime to trick an arcade machine into giving you free credits?

phineas gage

New member
I'm not talking about a gambling machine that pays out money, like slots or those quarter-pushers. I'm talking about an arcade video game that kids play for entertainment.

About 23 years ago, and much to my surprise, the simplest, cheapest, most common-sense trick in the book worked when I tried it: I tied a quarter to a string and put it in the arcade game and then pulled it out, and I did this about 20 times. I got 20 credits for the price of 1.

Is this a crime, and if so, what kind of crime? A misdemeanor? Would I have been arrested if I got caught? I was under 18 at the time.
 
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