Pinball was once illegal in major US cities due to its lack of flippers, making it prime gambling territory. Churches and politicians also opposed it, but it became an acceptable pastime in the 1970s as a game of skill. Mayor La Guardia even smashed machines in raids. The Addams Family is the best-selling pinball machine in history.
By today’s standards, pinball may seem like a simple and innocuous game, unlike the many video game titles that have attracted controversy for their violent content. In the 1940s, however, major US cities such as New York and Los Angeles viewed pinball as a threat to society and made the machines illegal. The problem was that early pinball machines didn’t have flippers, so the path of the ball and the outcome of a game was essentially random, making it prime gambling territory. Churches and moralizing politicians also took a stand against the machines, which they thought corrupted the nation’s youth and robbed them of their nickels and dimes. It wasn’t until the 1970s that pinball became an acceptable pastime, as it came to be viewed more as a game of skill than luck.
It’s all in the game:
Pinball was banned in New York City until 1976. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia sometimes joined the police in raids in which pinball machines were smashed with sledgehammers.
Movies and TV shows set in the mid-20th century often portray the rebels as pinball enthusiasts—Happy Days’ Fonz is a prime example.
Released in 1992 and based on the 1991 film, The Addams Family is the best-selling pinball machine in history, with over 20,000 units sold.
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