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And pinball back then was pretty similar to pachinko, according to the article. "Before the advent of flippers in 1947, pinball was a considerably different ga

And pinball back then was pretty similar to pachinko, according to the article. "Before the advent of flippers in 1947, pinball was a considerably different game from what it is today. Except for tipping the machines, players were at the mercy of the random bounce of the ball. Players gambled on games, and operators handed out prizes from free games and gum all the way up to jewelry and chinaware."

gorkish 3y ago
Pre flipper machines are straight up designed to be gambling machines; I have a couple in my collection. Most of the articles and coverage conveniently leave out this fact. The effect at the time was the same as it would be today if private businesses could all install one arm bandit slot machines. I personally think it was all handled very poorly, and I love what pinball became from the ordeal, but there was certainly justification against the machines at that time.