Pingames and Gambling
Later Years

Before leaving the subject of local laws, and their effect on pinball, I would like to briefly mention one other situation I have heard of. It seems that some jurisdictions, such as the state of Indiana I am told, decided that "replays" themselves were alright as long as it was not indicated by the machine how many replay "credits" were available on the game at any given time. It was felt that if a person could not easily ascertain how many replays had been earned by a player, then a player could not "sell" his replays to another player.

So, in these areas, in order to operate a replay pinball, the "free game window" on the backglass had to be covered up. To accommodate this type of operation some manufacturers started putting a "credit light" at the bottom of the playfield which only indicated if one or more replay credits were available without indicating how many. So, if any of you were wondering what the little white light in the lower area of the award card holder on your game was for, the mystery is solved!

Before concluding this article on pinballs and gambling one final note on the subject of "side betting". In the late 1970s, when pinball was finally getting a "good name" after so many years of "identity problems", the film industry almost cast a shadow on pinball in the form of a motion picture whose theme was based on, of all things, "pinball gambling". This film, titled TILT, was one of Brooke Shield's early movie roles. In it she played a young teenager, known affectionately as "Tilt", who had great skill when it came to playing pinball. In the story she travels across the country with a young musician and earns money for the trip by "hustling pinball"; playing against local "champs" for money, ie "side betting".

I had heard about this movie being produced and was anxiously awaiting another "pinball movie", "TOMMY" being the only one at that time. Then someone told me it had been initially released in St. Louis but pulled back after about a week (a story which I have never been able to verify) due, I believe, to pressure from the coin machine industry. About that time I talked to Harry Williams on the phone and he told me of being invited to a preview showing of the film, because, as the "inventor of the 'tilt'", the movie makers wanted his endorsement. Harry told me he thought the film was "horrible", a statement I attributed to his fear of the harm it might do to the "public image" of pinball at a time when it was finally in pretty good shape.

"Tilt" was never released to the general public, but several years later it began being shown on cable T.V. I now have the film on video tape and it is a good movie showing pinball being played with some excellent "special effects"; and the story is rather good too, if you discount the "negative" aspect of "pinball gambling".

Well, there you have it, "what you always wanted to know about pinball and gambling, but were afraid to ask." As you can see pinball has not always been "lily white" when it comes to gambling, but neither has it been as "black" as many "crusaders" of the past would have had us believe.

Pinball had its beginnings in an era when gambling was fairly widespread and many pingame manufacturers "jumped on the bandwagon". Some players enjoyed "playing for money", while others got just as much enjoyment out of playing a good game "just for the fun and challenge of it". Still others got, and still do, as great a thrill from obtaining a "replay" (or "free ball" in "Add-A-Ball territories") as many did from winning cash or merchandise. That "knock" of the replay knocker gives the player a real inner feeling of accomplishment.

Finally, as we all know, if a person wants to gamble on a game, whether it be pinball, golf, bowling, bridge, or tiddly- winks, he will find a way. So be it! Games are for amusement and enjoyment so let each "enjoy" in his or her own way.