Like so many things we take for granted today, there was a time when the morally upright looked down upon pinball. They weren’t entirely without their reasons, as early iterations of pinball didn’t include flippers. It was a game of chance, and games of chance are notorious footholds for wickedness, or so went the prevailing thinking of the day. Oakland, Calif.—bastion of ethical rectitude that it is—straight up outlawed pinball in the 1930s, and it’s stayed that way ever since, even as the game of pinball has technically advanced to the point where it’s (more or less) a game of skill. Or, it had. The City Council is moving forward on finally legalizing pinball, so that the Bay Area will finally be able to enjoy their favorite game in peace.
They weren’t the first city to outlaw pinball, but they’re one of the last to legalize it. The big movement towards legalization actually has a pretty fascinating back story involving a once-in-a-lifetime shot. You can read the whole, terrific story over at Gizmodo …
