[skelseys]

If this business is so lucrative, why isn't organized crime involved? It seems like a field where they have a number of comparative advantages:

1. Good at negotiating with local businesses. 2. Good at motivating low-paid employees to handle large cash sums without pilfering. 3. They love cash businesses. 4. More tax efficient than people doing 'side hustles'. 5. Good at managing kick-backs to eg. motel staff.

My guess is that the most 'gold mine' locations are already controlled by entrenched players who defend them using a variety of legal and illegal methods - vandalism of competitors' machines, high rents, kickbacks, threats to landlords.

Then all the marginally profitable locations are competed over by amateurs who routinely lose money and get disillusioned.

[scottlocklin]

The US mafia was for a time at least. Used to be common knowledge.

https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5f5lph/e...

[powvans]

This comment sounds like the inspiration for an Anchorman style comedic exploration of the dark underbelly of the vending machine world.

[Cthulhu_]

I did hear one of those factoids saying more people are killed by vending machines than sharks...

https://freakonomics.com/2011/09/08/how-are-sharks-less-dang...

[duderific]

Sure, but how many people are killed by mafia thugs when trying to muscle in on their vending machine territory