Reward Types

Pinball machines have offered players various rewards since the earliest coin-operated games. The simplest reward — and the one that defined the legal landscape for decades — is the replay: a free game awarded for reaching a score threshold, achieving a specified feat, or landing on a replay score set by the operator. Replays required no additional coins and were accepted in most jurisdictions as a game of skill rather than gambling.

The add-a-ball mechanic emerged in the early 1960s as an alternative in localities where replays were prohibited. Rather than granting a free game, the machine added an extra ball to the current game — a distinction that satisfied anti-gambling ordinances in many cities and states. Some manufacturers produced dual-purpose machines switchable between replay and add-a-ball modes depending on where they were operated.

Solid-state machines of the late 1970s and 1980s introduced new reward categories. Free play mode (typically operator-set) allowed unlimited games without coins, common in home use and arcades experimenting with flat-rate admission. Novelty machines awarded no replays at all, sidestepping gambling concerns entirely by design. Cash-payout machines, used in certain jurisdictions, dispensed coins or tokens directly — these operated under gaming regulations where applicable. Ticket-payout machines dispensed paper tickets redeemable for prizes, a format that became prevalent in family entertainment centers from the 1980s onward.

The reward type of a given machine often depended as much on where it was sold and operated as on the manufacturer's design intent. Many titles were produced in multiple reward configurations, and operators frequently modified machines in the field to comply with local regulations.