editorial
pursuing hnppiness • In '76
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are
guaranteed in the United States Constitution.
Fortunately, for those of us in the coin-operated
amusements business, there are a goodly number of
people in America who want to pursue happiness
through a coin slot and a silver ball.
Unfortunately, at some undetermined point in
our short history, the upholders of that cloud of
confusion known as The Law decided that playing
with silver balls violated a social code against
gambling.
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Since then it's been pretty tough in some parts of
this fabulous nation to be a coin amusements
operator if you were interested in helping people
get off on silver balls and pretty colors.
Fortunately, a number of things have happened
since those early days of pinball. One is that a
certain type of pingame emerged that was based
more on skill than luck and wasn't necessarily
conducive to gambling. Secondly, more people
overcame their hangups and decided there was
nothing immoral with having a little fun with a
machine.
There are some other related factors (like local
governments finding out they could get some
much-needed tax dollars out of pinball and other
amusements operators), but it all adds up to the
fact that since this decade began, more and more
states and local communities are lifting 20- and
30-year bans against pinball and allowing people to
purse happiness in their own way.
Of course, pursuit of happiness has probably not
been used as a reason for legalizing pinball or free
play in any recent efforts. In all probability, the
person or persons fighting for pinball or free play
used the logic of skill-vs-chance or the lure of extra
revenue as the tools to get their point across
successfully.
In any case, pinball is experiencing a renaissance
of sorts and it is partially because of states like
Michigan finally legalizing the awarding free plays
on pinball games there and eliminating the law that
made it a felony to operate pinball machines.
It's also because of communities like Rock Island,
lll., which lifted an I8-year ban against pinball of
any sort just this January, giving the new year
proper start from the operator's legal view.
Even New York City, the Big Apple no less, may
finally break down and allow a sport that has swept
the rest of its state to at last be played within its
limits. Unconfirmed reports from NYC lead us to
believe pinball will become legal there in a short
time.
But all of these victories should not lead us
astray.
There are still many battles to be fought, for
many communities still outlaw pinball, a harmless
pastime that more people will want to playas more
leisure time becomes available to Americans.
In addition, we must be constantly vigilant that
someone in our communities does not bring back
the repression of years past by bad or illegal
business practices.
We must continue to fight for our right to pursue
happiness through free enterprise and continue to
fight to prove that we are honest, respectable men
engaged in an honest, respectable business.
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