A few hundred games is enough to break even on a game, it really depends on your play style. For example when I go play on location, between games, booze, fried oreos, food, etc I usually spend $40 to $70 on one outing. Your mileage may vary, but that's what I typically spend. So for me personally it doesn't take much to break even. Assuming say a $1200 loss when selling a new in box game and assuming each time I choose to play at home rather than on location saves me an average of $55, then skipping 22 visits to the local pinball location means financial break even. Side bonus, I get to play the game in the comfort of my own home anytime I want, I get to hear all the sounds, I can play it back to back without feeling like I'm hogging the game, I can take time to learn all the rules, I can experiment at my leisure, I can blast music loud while I play, I can live stream Deadflip on the tv next to my games while I play (I do that sometimes), etc...

But again that's me, your play style and location expenditures may be different. To each their own.