by External Poster » Wed Feb 10, 2010 8:31 pm
This posting is from: annie
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> I remember at time in the 60s at bowling alleys that had pin ball
> machines, it was only for those 18 and older, specifically because
> of some sort of gambling aspect those machines at that time.
> My understanding too that they had alot of them in bars.
When I was growing up, pinball machines were, techically, illegal
in the city, but they were around, and they were popular with
high-school age kids, if you could find them. In those days, you
could drink at age 18, but pinball machines were, officially,
verboten.
> So the question is ... was there ever gambling associated with
> pin ball ? and for those that have gone to this museum, if they
> exist, does this museum have them?
The controversy was that some operators would "pay off" the player
for the free games accumulated. A certain score, or such things
as a "special when lit" rollover racked up a free game, with a
very distinctive >>CLACK<< when it happened. Some of the machines
I remember had a matching feature, where a random 0-9 digit was
generated and if your score's last digit matched, >>CLACK<< a
"replay" (free game).
Most of the machines had a wheel counter which accumuulated
free games up to 9. Although very illegal, it was not unknown
for operators to "pay off" players for the free games and then
reset the counter to zero by unplugging and restarting the
game.
> In the 60s I got hooked on those analog shooting gallery games,
> where targets would pop up, or one shoots at moving targets.
> Those were the only ones we could play as a kid, and not related
> to pin ball at all.
I admit to getting hooked on the original Donkey Kong in the
early 80s. :) Video arcades were very popular around here
in those days and I and my SO spent countless hours (and
countless quarters) playing them.
LOL, not to admit my real age, but I actually remember
playing "pong" for $.25 a shot on a table-top bar machine
in the 70s. :)
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(This posting was entered by annie, an external user of MyDLV.)