A professionally written tribute to an often-unrecognized
pioneer in the Coin-Op Industry`
Now you have seen me mention the AMOA before and here is
another tie to the Bingo Pinballs`
I lost track of this, but now that I am reminded, I will start
chasing this story once again`
Collins Skillpins
(2021)
http://vgpavilion.com › mags › 1982/12
PDF
Dec 3, 1982 — '71 A.M.O.A. (Amusement &
Music Operators Associa- ... both were released
at the 76 A.M.O.A. show. ... with a quasi-legitimate bingo-pinball.
VIDEO
INVADERS
……dia’s day, the reward
for a high score was not simply a free ball or game (many states,
incidentally, still outlaw bonuses of any kind) — pinball actually paid
off! A meter recorded your winnings, which were then tendered to you in
cash by the operator. When the authorities discovered that gambling was,
indeed, going on and figures such as La Guardia began taking the offensive,
pinball manufacturers continued to do whatever they could to keep their
customers satisfied. At first, they switched from meters to dispensing
tokens or color-coded hard candy. After registering your scores
you would head to another location, where these items were redeemed for
cash. Soon enough, however, law officials realized the ruse and cracked
down once more, at which time the industry stepped forth with a compromise
— the free game. But there was another hitch: Manufacturers, still looking
for a way to circumvent the law, invented the “knock-off button.” This way,
when you racked up a bunch of free games the arcade owner could just buy
them back from you (payoff time!); then he could reach under the machine
and reset it to zero. It looked better, but the payoffs could still happen.
By the late ’40s, local legislators had forbidden
pinball in the nation’s three largest cities: New York, Chicago, and Los
Angeles. Clearly, it was time the industry cleaned up its act. Gambling had
to go. With the introduction of flippers in 1947 and the prohibition of
pay-outs, pinball finally began to achieve the aims of the industry’s
anti-gambling, “For Amusement Only” faction. No longer would the game be a
refuge for two-bit gamblers, nor could it be accurately labeled a “game of
chance”; flippers made it a game of skill. Aside from the bingo pinball
games that remained legal in a number of states,
pinball was clean — or so the industry thought. Instead, criticism persisted.
The tough-talking National Association of Citizens
Crime Commission was……
October 1, 2001
The Index-Journal
from Greenwood, South Carolina · Page 21
Oct 1, 2001 — 600419-9727 Ext. 202 SKILLPINS ELECTRONIC BINGO
PINBALL ... IS OknMnirMiaaBVM 1 V mJmum J amoa r 8pW fx W iSVt m4 W aim ...
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