From what I understand, early pinball looked a lot more like pachinko. There weren't flippers and there was much less opportunity to consciously guide gameplay

From what I understand, early pinball looked a lot more like pachinko. There weren't flippers and there was much less opportunity to consciously guide gameplay. This made it a lot more of a game of chance than a game of skill, so it was closer to a gambling device. Some places went all the way-- the operator would award prizes for getting specific outcomes, and a lot of places banned or regulated them for decades. There were apparently court trials where experienced players demonstrated that they could call specific shots, to prove that it was not a pure-chance endeavour.