Alibaba Sets Up Claw Machine With Live Crabs at Chinese Mall

Multi-billion dollar e-commerce company Alibaba recently set up a live-crab claw machine at a mall located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, in east China, in celebration of the upcoming crab season.

It offers actual live crabs as prizes instead of the traditional stuffed animals and plush toys that people love.

Just like the normal claw machine, players will also have to try their luck at winning a piece of crab to take home to their family. People have actually won on the machine, unlike the ones that can be found in amusement centers, which appear to be rigged, according to Shanghaiist.

A woman actually managed to catch 10 crabs from the machine. Although it is unclear if she did the amazing stunt consecutively or with intervals due to the long lines of people who want to try it.

Normally, a single piece of this mitten crab would cost around 30 yuan (about $5), but in this game, players can get one for only 5 yuan (76 cents) — if they are lucky enough.

Meanwhile, those who have Alibaba credit scores are granted one free go at the live crab claw machine. People can also use redeemed Tmall points instead of real money to play.

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