I have never charged my cell phone at a public charging station. I think it’s cool when they are available – there was even one at my nearby urgent care clinic the last time I had to take my kid (he’s fine!) – but I have never needed one. If I did, though, I don’t think I would gamble using the same machine that was juicing my phone. Maybe it’s just me, seems weird. The next time I go to visit my family in Wisconsin, it looks like I won’t even get that chance, as the Wisconsin Supreme Court gave a big thumbs down to gambling on charging stations. I mean, come on, I didn’t even get to try it!
Cheating a slot machine through the power of random numbers. Using a cell phone app to exploit the PRNG in a slot machine lead to huge casino losses. Read more in this piece from Wired. Charging Station, Vogek 50W 10A 5-Port USB Charging Station for Multiple Device with 8 Short Mixed Cables Watch & Airpod Stand Included for Cell Phones, Smart Phones, Tablets, iWatch, Airpods -Black 4.6 out of 5 stars 4,106.
Supreme Court wasn’t swayed
A company called Quick Charge Kiosk, owned by one Jeremy Hahn, supplied “Pow’r Up” kiosks to convenience stores and gas stations throughout America’s Dairyland that allowed people to both give their phones some much needed life and play a video game while waiting.
If the customer wins at the game, they receive a voucher that can be used like cash to buy something in the store.
In 2015, the Wisconsin Attorney General seized several of the Pow’r Up kiosks on the grounds that they were illegal gambling machines. Quick Charge sued, saying they were legal because they had a free-to-play option.
The state Supreme Court disagreed. In the ruling, Justice Brian Hagedorn wrote: “Free play option or not, Quick Charge’s argument does not overcome the reality that its kiosks can be used as gambling machines. Simply because a kiosk has uses other than illegal gambling does not negate that reality.”
Yes, they are slot machines
Three years ago, Milwaukee’s FOX6 news investigated the Pow’r Up kiosks, taking their hidden cameras on the road. They stopped at a couple gas stations to check out the machines, finding that they charge an insane $1 PER MINUTE for phone charging. Even a fast charger isn’t going to accomplish much in a minute.
And really, people are not using the kiosks for cell phone charging. For every $1, you get 100 “entries” to use in the video slot machine. That’s what people use the machines for. The slot machine is supposed to be the bonus, but really, the charging is the bonus.
Welcome to “gasinos.”
One FOX6 producer asked a store clerk what happens when someone wins. Even then, the reward was just straight cash given to the person from the register, not some voucher to spend in the store.
Free play isn’t worth the effort
Even the free play option is effectively a ruse. Apparently, to play for free, one has to fill out a special free entry form. The news producer asked a clerk about it, who didn’t know what she was talking about. Eventually, he found one. It had to filled out and mailed in.
A week later, the producer received a certificate for one free entry. When she tried to redeem it, the store clerk had no idea what to do with it, so he just gave her $1 to use in the machine.
So yes, the Pow’r Up machines are slot machines. They are gambling machines. Not difficult to understand.
Just like we need food and drink to keep us alive, your mobile device needs good, consistent charging to stay alive and perform well. Sometimes, we get sick. Likewise, our mobile phones also fall sick and stop working properly.
No matter what some do-it-yourself advocates may say, don’t try to repair the charge port on your phone by yourself (with parts provisioned from the internet). If you need phone repair in Kansas City, it might be a good idea to think twice and seek the advice of a pro like your Phone Medic phone repair specialists. Our trained technicians can repair or replace the charge port on your mobile phone in under an hour.
In most cases, we are not sure of the problem with our mobile phones, but we do know something has gone wrong. You may suspect it is the charge port, but it may not be some other aspect or component. Other times, you may suspect another part in the phone but it may not be the charge port at all. It is best to seek the advice of someone like us to diagnose, rather than trying to fix it yourself before clarifying the issue Either way, if you are in a pinch for time, here are some indications that the charge port on your mobile is broken.
Do you have to hold the phone at a certain angle to charge it?
It may be that the charge port on your cellphone is loose and need to be fixed into place again. If you continue to charge your phone while it is in this condition, the charge port may burn and you might lose the phone.
You see some off-colored residue or debris around the charge port
Hold the phone to a light and see if there are any black residue around the charge port. If so, the phone is possibly on the verge of going out and you need to take the phone to a top notch phone repair company. The black residue is sometimes due to a part that has burned inside the phone or an inappropriate charge voltage, which means it is only a matter of time, before the phone gives up or begins to have other issues.
There is nothing wrong with the charger and battery
If you’ve checked the charger and the battery (by testing them on another mobile) and there seems to be nothing wrong with them but the phone is still not charging, the fault probably lies within the phone. The most probable culprit is most likely the need of a charge port repair.
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Pins are broken in the charge port
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Sometimes, if the pins in the charge port are broken or bent, the phone will refuse to charge. This is difficult to diagnose unless you open the phone. At Phone Medic, we have sophisticated, customized tools to check charge ports for broken pins. If the pins or contacts are indeed broken, you will most likely have to replace the charge port.
Cell Phone Charge Port On Slot Machines Troubleshooting
If you discover that there is something wrong with your phone’s charge port, if the charge port is broken or loose, or you simply don’t know why the phone is not charging, simply bring the phone to and of our convenient locations to have it checked out. We will usually fix it in under an hour so that you can quickly get back to the important things in life. Note that we can help you when you need a smartphone camera repair too – no repair is too big or too small!