What was the first ticket-dispensing arcade game?

February 12, 2022 4:22 PM

I was thinking about the 90s arcade ecosystem, which was dominated by ticket-dispensing games, and realized that I don't know a lot about the history of ticket-dispensing arcade games. I'm having a hard time finding the answer to this with Google. What was the first (or what were the first) games that dispensed tickets to be exchanged for prizes?
posted by LSK to Grab Bag (7 answers total)

Skee-ball was one of the first redemption games. There's a history of Skee-ball here. One paragraph I noticed was:

Still, Skee-Ball was becoming a hit, thanks in part to a key design change prompted during the Depression. Originally built with a 32- to 36-foot-long ramp, the machines were cleaved in half so operators could fit the alleys into smaller, more affordable venues (10 feet is now the standard length). Not having to launch the ball such a long distance helped attract more kids to the game, who—along with adults—were plunking down an endless stream of nickels so they could get their nine balls and attempt to sink them. Prizes or tickets redeemable for prizes would be awarded to winners. (my emphasis).
posted by pipeski at 4:31 PM on February 12, 2022 [12 favorites]

I can say that the first mentions I see of Skee ball machines in old newspapers in 1930s.
posted by beccaj at 4:41 PM on February 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

I don't have any personal knowledge for you, but I read an article the other day about a game called Fascination (of which there are apparently few arcades remaining with it) and it mentions the 1920s. It's different than Skeeball, but there are some similarities.

Conveniently-timed question, lol. I'd never heard of this particular game or the arcade until I saw the article; Seaside isn't one of the Oregon coast areas my family tends to gravitate toward.
posted by stormyteal at 5:28 PM on February 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Tickets For prizes were around far before the 1990s, unless you meant 1890s.

Randomly was in a children's arcade today for a friend's birthday party, they no longer dispense tickets. You get "tickets" awarded back to your swipe card. It's not the same and I worry about the children nowadays.
posted by TheAdamist at 6:56 PM on February 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

Takes me back to the time my high school friends and I spent half the day at Darien Lake playing Skee-ball and getting pretty good, and the best prize we could get for our tickets were these dump painter’s hats that didn’t even fit.

@TheAdamist, on my first trip to Las Vegas I was so disappointed in the digital slot machines. They just felt wrong. We found a couple of old-fashioned one armed bandit in a dark hallway that were much more satisfying. Tink rattlerattlerattle KA-CHUNK ratatat-tat DING! We won $80 and took ourselves to a nice dinner.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:11 PM on February 12, 2022

Randomly was in a children's arcade today for a friend's birthday party, they no longer dispense tickets. You get "tickets" awarded back to your swipe card. It's not the same and I worry about the children nowadays.

They still give out tickets in the UK, there are at least two arcades in my city that still do it.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:54 AM on February 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

We actually did spend a good amount of time playing Fascination in Seaside. It does have a lot in common with Skee Ball, but also BINGO. Only one person in the room wins each round and there’s an employee facilitating the game who hands out tickets to the winner
posted by Skwirl at 11:36 PM on February 13, 2022 [1 favorite]