Once the pinball craze swept America in 1931 it didn't take long for them to create machines with automatic payouts. For Amusement Only my ass! From the get-go you would bring your high score to the attention of the bar-keep or pharmacist or shop-keep (sometimes they were all the same person, it was a different time...) and collect your payout. Maybe it was store credit (they were called trade stimulators and lumped in with the rest, at first) or maybe a drink or a smoke or maybe maybe maybe even some shiny nickels from the register.
The first of the payout machines had cute little hidden drawers for payouts you had to know where to access, but the law caught up to that trick fairly quickly. Mind you it's the 1930s, information traveled at drastically distended speeds depending on where you lived. But it didn't matter if you were flagging the attendant, raiding the payout drawer, or racking up credits on the backbox, it was all skilled gambling. Slots had been around for a few decades at that point, but pinballs put the player in control of their own fate, no longer at the sole mercy of the spinning wheels. Who needed good luck when you had a precision plunge?
Many pinheads will not be familiar with the one-ball machines, but they are a vital part of the history of pinball today. In the era before flippers, I would assume they gave the most excitement for one's nickel as the odds spun and flashed, perhaps giving you a chance at a lucrative payoff. They need to be known for so much American legislation was reactive to their popularity. They need to be known because they are stunning pieces of art, craftsmanship, and Americana. And personally, I think they're awe-inspiring because they took a problem like "what do we do about people moving the machine and winning more?" and the solution was: BUILD THEM AS HEAVY AS A TANK SO THEY CAN'T BE MOVED.
The first of the payout machines had cute little hidden drawers for payouts you had to know where to access, but the law caught up to that trick fairly quickly. Mind you it's the 1930s, information traveled at drastically distended speeds depending on where you lived. But it didn't matter if you were flagging the attendant, raiding the payout drawer, or racking up credits on the backbox, it was all skilled gambling. Slots had been around for a few decades at that point, but pinballs put the player in control of their own fate, no longer at the sole mercy of the spinning wheels. Who needed good luck when you had a precision plunge?
Many pinheads will not be familiar with the one-ball machines, but they are a vital part of the history of pinball today. In the era before flippers, I would assume they gave the most excitement for one's nickel as the odds spun and flashed, perhaps giving you a chance at a lucrative payoff. They need to be known for so much American legislation was reactive to their popularity. They need to be known because they are stunning pieces of art, craftsmanship, and Americana. And personally, I think they're awe-inspiring because they took a problem like "what do we do about people moving the machine and winning more?" and the solution was: BUILD THEM AS HEAVY AS A TANK SO THEY CAN'T BE MOVED.
Niche Collection 003: Craig's one-ball horse race pinballs
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| Bally Sunshine Park (1952) - The very last one-ball game produced by Bally |
the basics
who: Craig Smallish (pinside)
where: America
what: American one-ball horse race, credit and payout machines
when: "I began actively collecting woodrails in late 2012, with a focus on horse games back in 2014."
how many: "I currently own 15 EM pins, with 8 being one-ball, horse race themed games, and 2 being mid ‘30’s era horse race themed, side-bet/credit games, one lowly flipper game with a race horse theme, and an 1871 Redgrave Bagatelle. Other than my most recent acquisition which was neglected in a barn for years, they all play and function well!"
