Pinball used to be illegal in New York City!
Pinball’s origins can be traced back thousands of years to ancients playing similar games on grass with rolling stones. With the introduction of the spring launcher in the 1700;s, the modern pinball machine was born. By the 1930’s pinball was one of the most popular and bestselling games in the world.
However, in New York, pinball was banned from 1940 to 1976! Flippers weren’t created until 1947, years after pinball was outlawed—so players would bump or tilt the machines, which gave many the impression that the game was devoid of all skill and basically gambling.
Luckily the game became legal again in 1976 when a pinball whiz named Roger Sharpe demonstratred his pinball skill during court.