It's the standard price these days.

If you are paying less than a dollar a play be happy. It isn't worth it nowadays to route at that price lol

Most places in Seattle are 50-75 cents. I haven't seen a $1 game anywhere.

It’s $1

We all gotta make a living. Barcade included.

Plus one day I will die so I’m gonna make it rain pinball money & ribeyes until they bury me.

We are very lucky in the Dallas/Fort Worth Texas area.

Versus Gameplay (Stern Army location) in Plano, TX has a $10 entry ($20 30 day pass) and all games are on free play. Right now, seven pinball machines are available. Stern Aerosmith Pro, Stern Meteor, Stern Star Wars Pro, Bally Four Million BC, Bally Paragon, Bally Shadow and Gottlieb Atlantis. Stern Guardians of Galaxy Pro and Bally Future Spa are expected in December.

Nickelrama Arcade (Stern Army Location) in Garland TX has a $3.00 entry fee and $0.20 (twenty cents) per game. They have all of the latest machines, including JJP Dialed In, Hobbit, and WOZ as well as Stern Star Wars, Aerosmith, Batman 66, Ghostbusters, Game Of Thrones, Kiss, Metallica, Walking Dead, Spider-Man VE, Mustang and Star Trek. Guardians Of The Galaxy Pro will be joining the collection in December.

Cidercade in Dallas, TX has a $10.00 entry and all games are on free play. They have LE/premium versions of many of the latest Sterns and JJP games. They also have some 90s DMD games. 26+ Pins in all I believe.

Freeplay Richardson and Arlington has a $10.00 entry all games are on free play. I am not sure of the lineup, but there are at least 6-10 pinball machines at each location I believe.

Cinemark 17 in Dallas, TX has machines on token play. Believe it is 2 tokens per game.

We are definitely blessed in the DFW Area.

Marcus

Pittsburgh area is generally around $1 per play or 3 games for $2

Most of the games on location around here are $1/play. Can be hit or miss if its worth it since some machines have issues that the operator doesn't fix.

I try to make a 2+ hr trek to Rock Fantasy in Middletown NY whenever I can, the pricing there is much more reasonable and the games are typically pretty dialed in.

Every place in New England is a $1 and sometimes the new games cost like $1.25 or $1.50. Only in like NYC and NJ you start seeing .75 and .50 cent games. Even tournaments are expensive at like $10 a league night and $30 tourney fees. Pinball is super expensive to play. I have heard it's well over a $1 overseas. Another reason why pinball will never become super big like say a videogame. With a videogame it's $60 and then the DLC and if you really like the game you start buying the infamous "loot boxes". You don't have to buy loot boxes or DLC to play the game though. It's just the nature of the beast especially when Marco sells an arm and a leg for stuff. Yes I was SUPER shocked too when I re-found pinball again because I remember when it was .50 cents a game.

Especially with $9k or $6.5k games!

No pinball in my area...except my basement and those are free...well sort of. I'm sure if I dollar cost averaged it they are way more than $1.00 a play

Usually the new titles around here are set at $1.00/play flat, and older sterns+WPC are $0.75 and 3/2. I definitely end up pumping way more money into the 3 for 2 games since I buy in groups and sorta forget about how many games ago I last paid (esp after replays). With dollar play I've gotta put in four quarters every single play and it makes it really obvious how much money you're paying.

Let me propose a question to you all: do you play less if there is a dollar bill acceptor on the game? Seeing a $1 rolling away is a bit more visually than putting in quarters or change in my opinion.

where do they make their money from?
it can't be from the games, .20 cent games might pay for the decals and part of the maintenance for the year.

$2 a games in a lot of places in Australia

We have about 15 games out there mostly newer Sterns and a couple WPC games..$2 for 3 is our standard price. Classics and non DMD games a flat $.50

I love that there are several barcades in Denver that offer $.50/game pinball. But I realize those places are making their money off of drink sales, which are essentially subsidizing the cheap pinball. So I can't hold it against the operator when I see $1/play games outside of a barcade setting. How could they make a profit routing games on the traditional model using 1990s pricing when the new games are twice as expensive and the arcade market has drastically changed?

Drinking (resized).jpg

1 Canadian Dollar, seems to a deal. That's 78 cents U.S. a game.

1 Dollar a game is the norm. Have seen $1.50 per token, 1 token per game. The 3 games for $2 is the 2nd chute set up for Stern games in Canada.

None
..kids dont wanna play pinball, the games are there for us not our kids...they have redemption games for kids

And my kids can plow through quarters at .25 per play on redemption games way faster than I can on $1 pins.

3 games on a nice CSI in Greensboro kept netting free games and I had to leave a few to watch the Movie.
3 games on a Ghostbusters in a Laundrymat and I played for 3 minutes.
Sometimes its worth it, I would gladly drop a few bucks in any of the newer machines, probably more in the older ones if they are maintained.

The barcade here is $1. Problem is the mixed drinks are $9. When they opened you couldn't get near the place on the weekends but business looks down to me. If you gouge people on drinks AND the games are $1 it makes us want to play pins at home then go out later. If their games were .50 they would make a lot more money in the long run.

I probably play a bit more with DBA as it takes less time to slip a dollar in than four quarters

Plus I'm more likely to have dollar bills on me than a roll of quarters (assuming we're talking about one or two machines tucked into a bar or shop vs a dedicated barcade, which will have change machines).

Yes... $1 a game or $2 for 3 games. In the 90's

Now $2 a game here in NZ

$1=1/$2=3 on Sterns around here. .50 or .75 per play on older WMS/Bally/DE. All at breweries.

The new game in town is the barcade with 50 self serve taps, which are both new concepts in our town. Same prices as above but uses tokens. I like the ability to put tokens on a card instead of finding 1s or a roll of quarters. I also like the ability to sample many different beers and top them off whenever I need. Time well tell if the novelty wears off and if the maintenance is kept up.

Also a member of a local collective where we have 25 games on free play. $20 a month gets you access two weeknights and Saturdays (and the league is free). True pinheads here so all the games are meticulously maintained.

looks more like an arcade on their website, though I've never been there.
the one "free play" place in the area that has the latest games is also a distro cost $15 bucks at the door, but they are only open from 9am to 2am and only two days a month.
I went there for one of those opening and only wound up staying for a little over an hour. Probably only played 10 games, because it was so crowded. not like show crowded, but crowded crowded. the games filled up after 10pm and everyone just camped out. you had to maneuver btwn people when it was your turn to play.

I think it's great they are doing well, but not my cup of tea, I'd rather pay the dollar.

standard here is
.25 per play on EMS
.50 per play on SS
.75 or 3 for $2 on classic DMD (some DMDs are straight .75 because of how they price)
New games are $1 when brand new. After a few months they typically go to 3 for $2
JJP and more expensive stuff is $1 straight or 6 for $5

Reality is that your .50 to play in 1992 is .84 in todays market.

I hobby operate, but I am also ALWAYS happy to play a nice game for $1 per play and am thankful for those that put out nice games and maintain them.

9 bucks for a mixed drink? Jeesh. Plus a tip, 10 bucks a drink. Freakin buy your own booze and stay home and play your pins.

Or just bring your own drinks to the bar.

Exactly. Let's just say my better half is probably good with one at that point then we go to another place (no pins though) and drinks are way better. At $1 a game at home we probably paid off several of my machines.

I'll pay $1 for a well-kept game... But a lot of places in the Bay Area seem to have only new Sterns which I tend to play one or two games on then lose interest, or other DMD's in medium to bad shape.

I was excited to go and play AFM and MM for the first time a few weeks ago, but they were both really worn down, partially cracked ramps, filthy PF's and pitted balls, so I only put in a few games on each. From the operator's perspective $1 p/p makes sense. But it helps if they keep their games in good condition.

Here in South Jersey, there's a vending service that goes by the name of "Bill's Vending Service." I feel like he's got the monopoly on pretty much every location here. Every jukebox, pinball machine, pool table, soda machine, gumball machine, etc, has his sticker on it. Every single pinball machine I've ever seen or played from him has always been, and still is, 50 cents. Sometimes we get lucky, and there's a 3 plays for a dollar (or 5 plays for $2) bonus on the older William's games that he vends. Matches are still on (but VERY low percentaged). Games are usually a mixed bag of how well they're maintained, but for the price, I can't really complain.

On the face of it, having barcades and other venues bundling their pinball prices into a door fee or drinks seems advantageous for the player. Yet, these sorts of venues placing games on free play or at nominal prices drives other operators away from pinball. So you might have more destination locations in a metro area, but fewer overall locations of traditionally priced games scattered all over the map. Most operators aren't going to be too keen on placing a $1 pinball machine within an easy drive of these free or cheap play venues.

Played 32ish well maintained pins yesterday, from PinBot to Metallica, all 50 cents per play at Pins Mechanical Company in Columbus, Ohio.
Champ Pub
Hobbit
Getaway
AFM
Scared Stiff
GoT
MM
High Roller Casino
Star Wars
POTC
Playboy old one
Xenon
BK 2000
WCS94
Fish Tails
Shadow
South Park
Indiana Jones
Eight Ball Deluxe
PinBot
Tommy
Adams Fam
TZ
Space station
Star Trek newer one
Ghost Busters
Shrek
TWD
Aerosmith
Kiss newer one
AC/DC
Metallica
One of these games was set to free play, but I'm not tellin which one. You'll have to find it on your own.

Barcades are learning that they have to price the game at something to keep people interested. Most are going to at least $.25 or $.50 to play. If nothing else it keeps people from pushing the start button 4 times and walking away after the 1st, 2nd ball because they have something invested.

Personally, I won’t play a straight $1 game. I’ll do 3 for $2 if it’s a well maintained B/W “it” title or newer Stern. If it’s an older, middle of the road kinda pin (JP JD T2 etc) the OP has made his money hand over fist and should just sell me the pin

A usual problem with barcades. Over time either interest in games drops and they change format to keep alcohol sales up, or prices go up.

Everybody's budget is different. I have 25¢ a play games, 75¢ a play games games, and $1 a play games. I try 3 games for $2 on the 75¢ games. And 6 games for $5 on the $1 a play games.

I try to have the assortment to have something for everyone's budget.

LTG : )

I wish we had location pinball around here ...id gladly pay a dollar a game.

Around here, newer Sterns are $1 a game or 5 games for $4. And Williams/Bally DMD games are 50 cents a game or 5 games for $2.

I am totally fine paying a buck a game. If I found a pin around me, I'd be happy to pay that. If multiple pins were there, I'm happy to drop 20 bucks for a bit of entertainment. If it's the latest game, so much the better. And if there is a nice place to eat close by, I'll make it an afternoon.

If the games play nice then $1.00 is good to me. If they play bad then I am done.

6.75 pints (20 oz, not stupid 16 oz)
Scratch made food to order.
Tokens $1
Tuesday's 2 credits for one token.
Wednesday's free token with every purchase.
Every other night 1 token to play. Any game.

Pins are the niche draw. Service, food and drink keep them coming back.

A buck a game? Kidding me? That's a steal! This isnt 1982 folks, and given the cost of owning a pin these days it's nothing, NOTHING!!! support your local operators!
Give your kids a buck, and at the same time teach them fine motor skills with a side order of both mechanical and electrical engineering!!!

I love this hobby, beers on me.

Here in The Netherlands, it's usually 1 Euro (about $1.20) per game, sometimes 3 for 2 Euro. At the local redemption arcade, with card readers instead of coin mechs, it's already 1.25 Euro per game.

I get it, but MAN I LOVE CIDERCADE in Dallas, I can’t wait to go back! Fantastic lineup of games!

Honestly, the pinball and the Texas BBQ is why i can’t wait to get back to DFW lol

In a city I visit the arcade is .75 per play. The pins are maintained. I would probably think a bit harder at $1.00 per game but a buck ain't that much when I remember being a kid in the 60s and pinball was a quarter a game and gasoline was .25 a gallon. Kind of even steven.

Today, gas is $2.50 per gallon and pinball has lost ground comparatively as it struggles for $1.00 per game acceptance. Comparatively, pinball at $2.00 per game could be considered a bargain against the gallon of gas.

Sunshine Laundromat is 75 cents for all games. That seems a fair price, considering how well the machines are maintained. I've played over 200 games on various machines, and not once have I gotten a match! Since I don't know what I'm doing on the new machines, games are VERY short.