Unleash Your Inner “Pinball Wizard” at the Pinball Hall of Fame

Slot machines are like video games that require no skill. Insert money, pull lever, and wait with bated breath to see if the fickle and mysterious lady luck will smile on you and let you hit the jackpot – or at least win enough to play again. And luck is not on your side; the casinos were designed to suck you in and take your money and they very rarely give it back.

So forget the slots and head to the Pinball Hall of Fame instead. Run by the Las Vegas Pinball Collectors Club, it is a museum of antique pinball machines, but unlike at most museums, visitors here are encouraged to get hands on with the displays. If you are going to throw your money away in 25 cent increments, you should at last have fun doing it! And not only is the Pinball Hall of Fame a fun trip down memory lane, but it’s also a little boost for your karma (which may not be so good after a few days of partying in Vegas): as a registered 501 (c) 3 non-profit, the Hall of Fame donates all proceeds after expenses to the Salvation Army.

For pinball aficionados this unmarked building next to the Tropicana Cinema is a must-see. The Hall of Fame boasts over 4500 square feet of games, mostly from the 1950’s – 1980’s. Admission is free and older games are only 25 cents to play, while a few newer ones from the 1990’s are 50 cents. There are also classic arcade games like Ms. Pacman, Tetris, Donkey Kong and Paperboy. All the games are non-violent and family friendly and have been lovingly restored to original playing condition.

Among the treasure trove of historic games, the Hall of Fame also contains one of the only two Pinball Circus machines left in the world. This is the only machine of the nearly 200 pinball games at the Hall that costs $1 to play, and for most it is worth the extra cost. The game has three vertical playing fields with seven flippers, which makes this antique very unique among its kind and even more fun to play.

For kids of all ages, the Pinball Hall of Fame offers a chance to trade in the bells and whistles of the slots for that of the arcade. It is a welcome respite of good old-fashioned fun in Sin City.