A couple look in the window of a novelty joke shop in Blackpool, northern England August 28, 2013. British beach resorts, which flourished in the 19th century and earlier, have tempted tourists for years with amusement arcades, fairground rides and cheap and cheerful souvenirs. However, as a 2013 report by the Centre for Social Justice states, many seaside towns suffered as from the 1970s it became cheaper and easier for British tourists to travel abroad. Now, according to the Office for National Statistics, larger seaside towns in England suffer from higher-than-average levels of deprivation compared to the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they do continue to attract holiday makers. Picture taken August 28, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL) 

A closed hotel is seen on the promenade in Blackpool, northern England September 19, 2013. British beach resorts, which flourished in the 19th century and earlier, have tempted tourists for years with amusement arcades, fairground rides and cheap and cheerful souvenirs. However, as a 2013 report by the Centre for Social Justice states, many seaside towns suffered as from the 1970s it became cheaper and easier for British tourists to travel abroad. Now, according to the Office for National Statistics, larger seaside towns in England suffer from higher-than-average levels of deprivation compared to the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they do continue to attract holiday makers. Picture taken September 19, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL) 

A couple takes part in an afternoon tea dance at the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool, northern England July 24, 2013. British beach resorts, which flourished in the 19th century and earlier, have tempted tourists for years with amusement arcades, fairground rides and cheap and cheerful souvenirs. However, as a 2013 report by the Centre for Social Justice states, many seaside towns suffered as from the 1970s it became cheaper and easier for British tourists to travel abroad. Now, according to the Office for National Statistics, larger seaside towns in England suffer from higher-than-average levels of deprivation compared to the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they do continue to attract holiday makers. Picture taken July 24, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL) 

A family eat their lunch as they sit on a bench outside a fish and chip shop in Towyn, north Wales August 6, 2013. British beach resorts, which flourished in the 19th century and earlier, have tempted tourists for years with amusement arcades, fairground rides and cheap and cheerful souvenirs. However, as a 2013 report by the Centre for Social Justice states, many seaside towns suffered as from the 1970s it became cheaper and easier for British tourists to travel abroad. Now, according to the Office for National Statistics, larger seaside towns in England suffer from higher-than-average levels of deprivation compared to the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they do continue to attract holiday makers. Picture taken August 6, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL FOOD) 

Donkeys are walked down a terraced street to the beach in Blackpool, northern England July 24, 2013. British beach resorts, which flourished in the 19th century and earlier, have tempted tourists for years with amusement arcades, fairground rides and cheap and cheerful souvenirs. However, as a 2013 report by the Centre for Social Justice states, many seaside towns suffered as from the 1970s it became cheaper and easier for British tourists to travel abroad. Now, according to the Office for National Statistics, larger seaside towns in England suffer from higher-than-average levels of deprivation compared to the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they do continue to attract holiday makers. Picture taken July 24, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL ANIMALS) 

Fish and chips are seen in a sea front cafe in Blackpool, northern England September 8, 2013. British beach resorts, which flourished in the 19th century and earlier, have tempted tourists for years with amusement arcades, fairground rides and cheap and cheerful souvenirs. However, as a 2013 report by the Centre for Social Justice states, many seaside towns suffered as from the 1970s it became cheaper and easier for British tourists to travel abroad. Now, according to the Office for National Statistics, larger seaside towns in England suffer from higher-than-average levels of deprivation compared to the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they do continue to attract holiday makers. Picture taken September 8, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL) 

Sunlight glints off a giant glitterball on the promenade in Blackpool, northern England July 26, 2013. British beach resorts, which flourished in the 19th century and earlier, have tempted tourists for years with amusement arcades, fairground rides and cheap and cheerful souvenirs. However, as a 2013 report by the Centre for Social Justice states, many seaside towns suffered as from the 1970s it became cheaper and easier for British tourists to travel abroad. Now, according to the Office for National Statistics, larger seaside towns in England suffer from higher-than-average levels of deprivation compared to the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they do continue to attract holiday makers. Picture taken July 26, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) 

Holiday makers ride on a fairground attraction at an amusement arcade in Towyn, north Wales August 6, 2013. British beach resorts, which flourished in the 19th century and earlier, have tempted tourists for years with amusement arcades, fairground rides and cheap and cheerful souvenirs. However, as a 2013 report by the Centre for Social Justice states, many seaside towns suffered as from the 1970s it became cheaper and easier for British tourists to travel abroad. Now, according to the Office for National Statistics, larger seaside towns in England suffer from higher-than-average levels of deprivation compared to the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they do continue to attract holiday makers. Picture taken August 6, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL) 

People raise their hands as they ride a rollercoaster at Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, northern England July 26, 2013. British beach resorts, which flourished in the 19th century and earlier, have tempted tourists for years with amusement arcades, fairground rides and cheap and cheerful souvenirs. However, as a 2013 report by the Centre for Social Justice states, many seaside towns suffered as from the 1970s it became cheaper and easier for British tourists to travel abroad. Now, according to the Office for National Statistics, larger seaside towns in England suffer from higher-than-average levels of deprivation compared to the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they do continue to attract holiday makers. Picture taken July 26, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL) 

A girl walks past a mural of a child eating an ice cream on the promenade in Blackpool, northern England July 24, 2013. British beach resorts, which flourished in the 19th century and earlier, have tempted tourists for years with amusement arcades, fairground rides and cheap and cheerful souvenirs. However, as a 2013 report by the Centre for Social Justice states, many seaside towns suffered as from the 1970s it became cheaper and easier for British tourists to travel abroad. Now, according to the Office for National Statistics, larger seaside towns in England suffer from higher-than-average levels of deprivation compared to the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they do continue to attract holiday makers. Picture taken July 24, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) 

A boy plays with an inflatable beach toy on the beach in Blackpool, northern England July 24, 2013. British beach resorts, which flourished in the 19th century and earlier, have tempted tourists for years with amusement arcades, fairground rides and cheap and cheerful souvenirs. However, as a 2013 report by the Centre for Social Justice states, many seaside towns suffered as from the 1970s it became cheaper and easier for British tourists to travel abroad. Now, according to the Office for National Statistics, larger seaside towns in England suffer from higher-than-average levels of deprivation compared to the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they do continue to attract holiday makers. Picture taken July 24, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) 

Holiday makers play on the beach beneath brightly painted beach huts in Scarborough, northern England July 29, 2013. British beach resorts, which flourished in the 19th century and earlier, have tempted tourists for years with amusement arcades, fairground rides and cheap and cheerful souvenirs. However, as a 2013 report by the Centre for Social Justice states, many seaside towns suffered as from the 1970s it became cheaper and easier for British tourists to travel abroad. Now, according to the Office for National Statistics, larger seaside towns in England suffer from higher-than-average levels of deprivation compared to the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they do continue to attract holiday makers. Picture taken July 29, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SOCIETY) 

A man lies in the sun on a bench on the promenade in Blackpool, northern England July 24, 2013. British beach resorts, which flourished in the 19th century and earlier, have tempted tourists for years with amusement arcades, fairground rides and cheap and cheerful souvenirs. However, as a 2013 report by the Centre for Social Justice states, many seaside towns suffered as from the 1970s it became cheaper and easier for British tourists to travel abroad. Now, according to the Office for National Statistics, larger seaside towns in England suffer from higher-than-average levels of deprivation compared to the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they do continue to attract holiday makers. Picture taken July 24, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL) 

People sit in the sun on deck chairs at Central Pier in Blackpool, northern England July 24, 2013. British beach resorts, which flourished in the 19th century and earlier, have tempted tourists for years with amusement arcades, fairground rides and cheap and cheerful souvenirs. However, as a 2013 report by the Centre for Social Justice states, many seaside towns suffered as from the 1970s it became cheaper and easier for British tourists to travel abroad. Now, according to the Office for National Statistics, larger seaside towns in England suffer from higher-than-average levels of deprivation compared to the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they do continue to attract holiday makers. Picture taken July 24, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL) 

Youths play a boxing game near the bridge that divides ethnically the town of Mitrovica April 19, 2013. Serbia agreed to cede its last remaining foothold in the country's former province of Kosovo on Friday, striking an historic accord to settle relations in exchange for talks on joining the European Union. REUTERS/Hazir Reka (KOSOVO - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY) 

Water-soaked stuffed animals, prizes from an amusement arcade, are piled in the street as trash after the business was damaged by Hurricane Sandy, in Seaside Heights, New Jersey January 7, 2013. Most of the town's boardwalk and two amusement piers were destroyed in late October 2012 by the superstorm. REUTERS/Tom Mihalek (UNITED STATES - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY) 

A scrawled message to reopen is written on the door of an arcade at the FunTown Amusement Pier three days after Hurricane Sandy came ashore in Seaside Heights, New Jersey November 1, 2012. At least 82 people in North America died in the superstorm, which ravaged the northeastern United States on Monday night, and officials said the count could climb higher as rescuers searched house-to-house through coastal towns. REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENVIRONMENT DISASTER TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) 

A Filipino miner plays computer games before entering a tunnel in the gold mining town of Diwalwal in Compostela Valley, southern Philippines May 24, 2012. Up to 90 percent of small-scale Philippine gold production is being smuggled out of the Southeast Asian country, according to estimates from officials and traders, much of it to China. Picture taken May 24, 2012. To match Special Report PHILIPPINES-GOLD/ REUTERS/Erik De Castro (PHILIPPINES - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES SOCIETY WEALTH EMPLOYMENT) 

A boy holds a toy gun as he enjoys a ride at an amusement park on a public square in central of Jiuquan city, in northwest China's Gansu province, June 14, 2012. REUTERS/Jason Lee (CHINA - Tags: SOCIETY) 

Expanded Disneyland California Adventure Park features signs from Route 66 as a theme in Cars Land at the park in Anaheim, California June 5, 2012. The debut of Cars Land marks the completion of a five-year expansion at Disney California Adventure. Picture taken June 5. REUTERS/Alex Gallardo (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT TRAVEL) 

Expanded Disneyland California Adventure Park features Luigi's Flying Tires, air vents that drive guests in vehicles of oversized tires to float above the ground, bumping other tires to catch an inflatable ball at the park in Anaheim, California June 5, 2012. The debut of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street marks the completion of a five-year expansion at Disney California Adventure. Picture taken June 5. REUTERS/Alex Gallardo (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT TRAVEL) 

People are seen on a ride at Prater amusement park in Vienna, April 10, 2012. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner (AUSTRIA - Tags: SOCIETY) 

Visitors try out new games at the Tokyo Game Show in Chiba, east of Tokyo, September 15, 2011. The game show goes on till September 18. REUTERS/Toru Hanai (JAPAN - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS) 

Children enjoy a ride at an amusement park during Eid al-Fitr in Beirut August 30, 2011. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr to mark the end of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Cynthia Karam (LEBANON - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY) 

A Muslim family enjoy a ride on a ferris wheel at an amusement park during Eid al-Fitr in Beirut August 30, 2011. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr to mark the end of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Cynthia Karam (LEBANON - Tags: RELIGION) 

The Ferris wheel of the abandoned amusement park Spreepark is pictured Berlin July 16, 2011. Berlin is littered with
relics of its communist past, and one of the eeriest is the Spreepark, where the remains of what was once East Germany's
only amusement park still stand. But the park recently sprang to life when a small part was reopened to the public in July, with a cafe serving cakes and drinks and a couple of old rides running, drawing nostalgic visitors on the search for the park's past. Picture taken July 16. TO GO WITH REUTERS LIFE ! GERMANY-FUNFAIR/
REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch (GERMANY - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT CITYSCAPE) 

Migrant workers from Sichuan province play inside a video game centre after work in Dadun village in Zengcheng near the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou June 20, 2011, one week after militia fired tear gas in this factory town to quell rioting over the abuse of a pregnant street hawker who became a symbol of simmering grassroots discontent. Picture taken June 20, 2011. To match Special Report CHINA-MIGRANTS/ REUTERS/Bobby Yip (CHINA - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT) 

Visitors ride the Mega Disco roller coaster at an amusement park, with monsoon clouds seen in the background in Noida, located in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh June 27, 2011. REUTERS/Parivartan Sharma (INDIA - Tags: SOCIETY ENVIRONMENT) 

A man works at the reactor core of a former nuclear power station at the amusement park 'Wunderland Kalkar' (Wonderland Kalkar) in the western city of Kalkar June 20, 2011. Wunderland Kalkar was a nuclear fast breeder, which was completed but never taken online, and in 1995 Dutch investor Hennie van der Most bought it and transformed into an amusement park attracting some 600,000 visitors per year. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender (GERMANY - Tags: SOCIETY) 

Visitors ride a merry-go-round at the amusement park 'Wunderland Kalkar' (Wonderland Kalkar) in the western city of Kalkar June 20, 2011. Wunderland Kalkar was a nuclear fast breeder, which was completed but never taken online, and in 1995 Dutch investor Hennie van der Most bought it and transformed into an amusement park attracting some 600,000 visitors per year. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender (GERMANY - Tags: SOCIETY) 

Visitors ride a merry-go-round at the amusement park 'Wunderland Kalkar' (Wonderland Kalkar) in the western city of Kalkar June 20, 2011. Wunderland Kalkar was a nuclear fast breeder, which was completed but never taken online, and in 1995 Dutch investor Hennie van der Most bought it and transformed into an amusement park attracting some 600,000 visitors per year. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender (GERMANY - Tags: SOCIETY) 

Visitors ride a merry-go-round at the amusement park 'Wunderland Kalkar' (Wonderland Kalkar) in the western city of Kalkar June 20, 2011. Wunderland Kalkar was a nuclear fast breeder, which was completed but never taken online, and in 1995 Dutch investor Hennie van der Most bought it and transformed into an amusement park attracting some 600,000 visitors per year. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender (GERMANY - Tags: SOCIETY) 

Visitors ride a merry-go-round at the amusement park 'Wunderland Kalkar' (Wonderland Kalkar) in the western city of Kalkar June 20, 2011. Wunderland Kalkar was a nuclear fast breeder, which was completed but never taken online, and in 1995 Dutch investor Hennie van der Most bought it and transformed into an amusement park attracting some 600,000 visitors per year. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender (GERMANY - Tags: SOCIETY IMAGES OF THE DAY) 

Cosplay enthusiasts demonstrate a dance game at the Japan Expo in Paris July 4, 2010. REUTERS/Thomas White (FRANCE - Tags: SOCIETY) 

People outside an amusement arcade watch as a digger collects sand from the beach to be used to grit, in Scarborough, northern England January 7, 2010. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis (BRITAIN - Tags: ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY) 

Officials watch a bulldozer destroying slot machines that police seized from illegal amusement arcades in the southern Russian city of Stavropol April 21, 2009. REUTERS/Eduard Korniyenko (RUSSIA CONFLICT SOCIETY POLITICS) 

An acrobat hangs from a pole with blades during a performance to celebrate Chinese new year at an amusement park in Beijing January 28, 2009. Hundreds of millions of Chinese welcomed the Year of the Ox last Sunday, and have packed temple fairs and set off fireworks and firecrackers for the week-long traditional holiday. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause (CHINA) 

A woman wears an "ice princess" costume during a parade at an amusement park in Beijing January 25, 2009. Chinese people troop to temple fairs and parks to celebrate the Lunar New Year of Ox, which starts on January 26, 2009. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause (CHINA) 

A boy holds an umbrella for shade outside the Coney Island arcade in New York August 6, 2008. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (UNITED STATES) 

People wait in line to order fast food at a Coney Island food stand in New York August 6, 2008. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (UNITED STATES) 

A man opens up the booth for artist Steve Powers 'Waterboarding Thrill Ride' installation at the Coney Island arcade in New York August 6, 2008. The creation is an animatronic diaroma that when a dollar is fed into a machine standing outside, viewers can peer through cell bars to see the waterboarding scene. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (UNITED STATES) 

An Iranian woman plays at Maryam Bowling fun and sport centre on the island of Kish in the Persian Gulf, 1250 km (777 miles) south of Tehran August 4, 2008. Kish became the country's first free trade zone and the new gateway to Iran in 1982, being 17 km (11 miles) off the southern shore of mainland Iran. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) 

A visitor controls robots playing a game of paper, stone and scissors at Amusement Expo 2008 in Chiba, east of Tokyo, February 15, 2008. Japan's $6.9 billion arcade industry has been whacked hard by new advances in gaming, particularly Nintendo Co.Ltd's wildly popular WII, the latest big craze to compete for the time and pocket money of Japanese kids. To match feature JAPAN-ARCADES/ REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon (JAPAN) 

A visitor plays a toy-catching game at Amusement Expo 2008 in Chiba, east of Tokyo, February 15, 2008. Japan's $6.9 billion arcade industry has been whacked hard by new advances in gaming, particularly Nintendo Co.Ltd's wildly popular WII, the latest big craze to compete for the time and pocket money of Japanese kids. To match feature JAPAN-ARCADES/ REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon (JAPAN) 

Visitors control robots playing a game of paper, stone and scissors at Amusement Expo 2008 in Chiba, east of Tokyo, February 15, 2008. Japan's $6.9 billion arcade industry has been whacked hard by new advances in gaming, particularly Nintendo Co.Ltd's widly popular WII, the latest big craze to compete for the time and pocket money of Japanese kids. To match feature JAPAN-ARCADES/ REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon (JAPAN) 

A boy plays a toy-catching game at Amusement Expo 2008 in Chiba, east of Tokyo, February 15, 2008. Japan's $6.9 billion arcade industry has been whacked hard by new advances in gaming, particularly Nintendo Co.Ltd's wildly popular WII, the latest big craze to compete for the time and pocket money of Japanese kids. To match feature JAPAN-ARCADES/ REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon (JAPAN) 

A man plays an arcade game at the Wonderland fun centre in north western Tehran December 1, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) 

A woman and her brother play a game at the Wonderland fun centre in north western Tehran December 1, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) 

A girl plays a game at the Wonderland fun centre in north western Tehran December 1, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) 

A woman plays with a bumper car at the Wonderland fun centre in north-western Tehran November 29, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) 

A man walks past a closed amusement arcade in Blackpool, northern England, January 30, 2007. The northern city of Manchester unexpectedly won the fight to host Britain's first Las Vegas-style supercasino on Tuesday, beating off challengers including nearby Blackpool and London's Millennium Dome. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN) 

Blackpool Tower (L) is seen behind an amusement arcade in Blackpool, northern England, January 30, 2007. The northern city of Manchester unexpectedly won the fight to host Britain's first Las Vegas-style supercasino on Tuesday, beating off challengers including nearby Blackpool and London's Millennium Dome. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN) 

A man walks past a closed amusement arcade in Blackpool, northern England, January 30, 2007. Blackpool and a host of other British cities lost out to Manchester in the race to be the venue of the country's first supercasino. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN) 

An employee of Philippine casino operator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor) shows the company's website in Manila March 18, 2004. The Philippines is gambling on the Internet to help raise money for its cash-strapped government. Pagcor, whose casinos, slot machines arcades and bingo halls rake in $2 billion a year, said on Thursday it had given approval to PhilWeb Inc to operate the Internet casino. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco RR/FA 

Sega executives, Tetsu Kayama (2nd/R) and Akira Nagai (L), and Namco's
Chairman and chief executive Masaya Nakamura (2nd/L) and Vice President
Kushiro Takagi (R) pose for cameras at a joint news conference in Tokyo
September 20, 2001. Sega and Namco said on Thursday they have agreed to
expand their alliance on amusement arcade business, aiming for cost
efficiency and to create a new entertainment service. REUTERS/Toshiyuki
Aizawa

TA/RCS 

Flanked by Sonic (R), mascot of Japanese game maker Sega Corp, and
Najavu (L) of videogame software maker Namco Ltd, Sega executives,
Tetsu Kayama (2nd/R) and Akira Nagai (L), and Namco's Chairman and
chief executive Masaya Nakamura (2nd/L) and Vice President Kushiro
Takagi (R) pose for cameras at a joint news conference in Tokyo
September 20, 2001. Sega and Namco said on Thursday they have agreed to
expand their alliance on amusement arcade business, aiming for cost
efficiency and to create a new entertainment service. REUTERS/Toshiyuki
Aizawa

TA/RCS 

A visitor tries out a Star Wars racing game machine which was developed by Japan's computer game maker Sega Enterprises Ltd during Amusement Expo at Makuhari Messe, east of Tokyo February 26. Fifty-seven arcade game machine companies participated in the two-day event that is expected to attract about 30,000 people. 

A boy pushes a button as he tries out a Pocket Monsters' Pikachu action-figure game developed by Japan's amusement game maker Banpresto Co Ltd during Amusement Expo at Makuhari Messe, east of Tokyo February 26. Fifty-seven arcade game machine companies participated in the two-day event that is expected to attract about 30,000 people. 

Japanese women try out "Stepping 3," a dance simulation game developed by Japan's amusement game maker Jaleco Co Ltd during Amusement Expo at Makuhari Messe, east of Tokyo February 26. Fifty-seven arcade game machine companies participated in the two-day event that is expected to attract about 30,000 people.

ST/PB