[BinaryResult]

I would disagree and that the real point is for them to make their money up front on the token exchange. When you change $5 for tokens they don't care whether you spend them on games or use them as pogs, they have already made their $5 just as if you had pumped it all into the machines. If they change your $5 for just quarters there is no guarantee you will pump those into the machines, you might instead use them to buy a pack of gum or something and they never see that money. You can walk out with a pocket full of quarters and it will still be useful, this allows you to stop when you feel satisfied and they lose out on that money, a pocket full of tokens gains you nothing, might as well use them all up and then maybe you will want to keep going and convert a few more dollars. Very smart.

Beyond that many also use it as a way to introduce inflation and take a cut right off the top so instead of $1 getting your 4 tokens they can say make it so $1 only gets you 3 tokens and most people don't even notice. Now when you start pumping tokens in the machines in your mind you still feel like you're spending 25 cents when in reality you're spending 33 cents. Instant markup for increased profit.

[idlewords]

So here's a rant on the topic picked at random, discussing loss rates to employee theft in this business on the order of 20% (and that's with tokens!): https://frank-thecrank.com/are-you-losing-arcade-business-ga.... The same rant puts the base level of 'walk-away tokens' (the condition you describe) at 0.5-1% of the total.