I think if you operate games you have the responsibility to have the games at 100%, regardless if you run tournaments or leagues. Is it easy? No. Stuff breaks while games are being played, so whether or not a game has a part that breaks during league or while a tournament is running is pretty much a matter of chance. I have had a node board failure in the middle of a tournament, new rubbers snap in half, flipper buttons crack in half, a flipper coil stop break at the base--new rubber, buttons, and a coil stop are an easy fix, but that node board had to wait for another day. If a game is beginning to develop a tricky problem that is intermittent, say due to a flaky switch or connection, then you just have to remove it from play until it can be diagnosed and fixed.

Games with issues before the tournament or league starts? That one is on the operator. Tournament players know which locations keep up their games and which ones don't. It certainly isn't a secret.