Pinball wizards that is,if not for one pinball wizard New York City would probably not have lifted the ban on pinball machines to this day,but I am getting ahead of the story.
Pinball was banned in the early 1940's in most US cities including Chicago where the game was born and where most manufacturers are located. My thoughts on why it was banned are because it was fun and anything fun or distracting at that time was looked at with suspicion. The reason given for the ban was it was a game of chance not skill,so it was a form of gambling. Many lawmakers believed it was a mafia run racket,taking the lunch money of schoolchildren. Like most bans it didn't work,it just moved to less than savory locations. During World War II like much of America's industry few new games were made,instead conversion themes were sold which changed the artwork to wartime motifs. Because pinball was illegal for so long it became a symbol of youth and rebellion,characters portrayed in TV shows or movies as a rebel were often shown playing pinball. It wasn't until the 1960's that pinball started making a comeback and not until the 1970's that the bans were lifted.
Pinball was banned in the early 1940's in most US cities including Chicago where the game was born and where most manufacturers are located. My thoughts on why it was banned are because it was fun and anything fun or distracting at that time was looked at with suspicion. The reason given for the ban was it was a game of chance not skill,so it was a form of gambling. Many lawmakers believed it was a mafia run racket,taking the lunch money of schoolchildren. Like most bans it didn't work,it just moved to less than savory locations. During World War II like much of America's industry few new games were made,instead conversion themes were sold which changed the artwork to wartime motifs. Because pinball was illegal for so long it became a symbol of youth and rebellion,characters portrayed in TV shows or movies as a rebel were often shown playing pinball. It wasn't until the 1960's that pinball started making a comeback and not until the 1970's that the bans were lifted.
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