Flipperspel. Ja, vad kan man säga? Det förstår ungdomen. Eller kanske…? Inte?
1942–1976 · USA
Pinball machines are turning children into gamblers!
Pinball
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The verdict
Pinball was banned in New York for 34 years as gambling. The ban fell when a player showed it takes skill.
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What was said?
Early pinball machines had no flippers – the ball went wherever chance took it, and some machines paid out winnings. Politicians saw the games as gambling that stole young people's lunch money and lined the pockets of the Mafia.
New York's mayor Fiorello La Guardia banned pinball in 1942 and had himself photographed smashing machines with a sledgehammer. Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities had similar bans.
The verdict: what happened next?
In 1976 New York considered whether to lift the ban. The games writer Roger Sharpe demonstrated before the city council that he could say in advance which lane the ball would go down – and then hit it. That was proof enough that pinball is a game of skill, and the ban was lifted.
Pinball never turned out to be a gateway to gambling. Today it is mostly a nostalgic hobby.
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