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You Won't Believe What This Guy Blew His Life Savings On

You Won't Believe What This Guy Blew His Life Savings On

“It’s not possible that it wasn’t rigged.”

The going rate for an Xbox Kinect is $110. But for one Massachusetts man, his quest to win one in carnival game cost him about 24 times that amount.

And all he has to show for gambling away his life savings is a stuffed banana with dread locks.

“You’re expecting the kids to win a few things, let the kids have a good time,” Henry Gribbohm told CBS Boston. “It just didn’t turn out that way.”

The Massachusetts man confirmed that he went to the carnival, which is run by New Hampshire-based Fiesta Shows, with the intention of winning the gadget via a game called “Tubs of Fun” (what could possibly go wrong with this idea?).

He even practiced by himself before heading off to the carnival. However, once he got there and started playing, he says something was not right:

“It’s not possible that it wasn’t rigged,” said Gribbohm, who has apparently just discovered that carnie games are not exactly on the up-and-up.

“The 30-year-old from Epsom says he kept trying to win back his money by going double or nothing,” CBS Boston reports. “He dropped $300 in just a few minutes, then says he went home to get $2,300 more and soon lost all of that as well.”

Yes, he lost $2,600, his life savings, trying to win a video game gadget.

“You just get caught up in the whole ‘I’ve got to win my money back,’” he said.

The carnival’s organizer, Fiesta Shows, said “Tubs of Fun” is run by an independent contractor, adding that they'll “get to the bottom” of this story.

“They’ve been with us quite a while,” said Fiesta Vice President John Flynn. “First I ever heard of anything like that.”

He added that it’s “pretty next to impossible” to blow that kind of cash on a single game.

“I know it’s a difficult game. I’ve tried it myself — I’ve done it once, missed probably 20 times,” he said.

Gribbohm tried get his money back, but was only able to get $600 from the vendor. He left and filed a report with the Manchester Police Department later that week.

“Manchester Police Lieutenant Maureen Tessier says the department is investigating to determine if there was any fraud,” CBS Boston reports.

“The traveling carnival is now setting up in Derry, NH, but you will not see Tubs Of Fun. Fiesta said the independent contractor that runs the game is not allowed to set up while an investigation is taking place,” the report adds.

Gribbohm says he’s considering legal action.

“For once in my life I happened to become that sucker,” said Gribbohm. “It was foolish for putting up my life savings.”

Follow Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) on Twitter

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