Authorities in the US city of Oakland in California are expected to repeal an archaic law which banned residents from playing pinball machines.
Pinball was outlawed in the 1930s after being considered a gambling device. In Oakland, pinball machines 80 years ago didn’t have the flippers that they have today, making the game more one of chance. This led to its classification as a gambling instrument.
The old pinball law is still upheld in other US cities, however, such as Beacon in New York, which had to close its pinball museum and arcade in 2010 because of the ban.
A 1958 law review published through Marquette University, Wisconsin, said of pinball at the time: "In New York, an investigation report on pinball operations concluded that the social evils of pinball machines were the same as those presented by the new generally banned slot machines.”
