Sorry, but that would be a no go for me!

If you make it $.50 cents a game, you’re more likely to have a person play it twice and make your $1.00....they may even play it a third time if one of the two games they play is a close one.

Definitely some psychological aspects to this and I’m sure all the old operators were keenly in tune with this.

Nope. $.25 or skip it.

No. You'll get more plays and ultimately repeat business at a quarter a pop and turning off replays.

That sounds more reasonable to me. And if I was there, I'd dump coins into it.

I play a lot of location pinball and generally don't complain about 90's Williams or modern games set at a buck, but I'd never pay that to play an early solid state or EM (despite loving them) unless it was something very noteworthy. Old games just have too short of playtime for that money, 50c would have a lot better chance I'd think.

Does anyone have a general figure for what it costs to power one EM game for a typical business day on location?

This thread needs a poll.

I wouldn’t pay $1.

https://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU

A Kill a watt meter will get you an exact number.

Nope

No way.

Leave it on a free play with a optional donation/tip bucket next to the machine

Leaping from .25 to 1.00 might be a no go shock. Your idea to run 2 games for a dollar would be wise. No these old games don't have the wow factor like the new shiny games but they ARE still special and unique in there own way. Sadly with the cost of New games (and especially used) on a mega rise I suspect routing games will become a difficult challenge to justify. Price them as you like but I personally appreciate and often donate to games like this that the owner is willing to share that likely we will rarely ever see again let alone own.

NO

I'd worry about price per play second.

At your location, would people play it at all ?

My experience with my business is they stand and nobody cares.

Worth trying. Not everything works out.

LTG : )

Don't worry #LTG your not New age tech but spending time with you is Priceless every time!

You may be able to get around the vending stamp if you switch to tokens, that’s worked in some places because you’re not paying money. You’re buying tokens and then the machines aren’t a transaction.

It’s all legal nonsense but you can skirt around lots of laws since your machine is no longer a “point of sale” or transactional exchange.

Pinball machine costs per day is really minimal, if your margins are that thin, than trying to make money/break evil on pinball may not be the best idea?

You might check into zoning ordinances too. If you can operate in your location.

LTG : )

No

no sir

Personally, I would not. 50 cents might even be a little hard for me to swallow, but depending on the title I would do it.

I keep my new sterns at 50cents a game. My goal is to provide you with entertainment and keep you coming back for more. I want the casual fans to feel like they are getting a good deal. I’m afraid a high price might keep players from playing again after a quick game.

Probably? There isn't any pinball on location that I'm aware of in my hometown. Being an EM guy it's always exciting when you see one out in the wild. So if I happened upon one I'd probably put a couple games on it. Depending on the game that may be the end of it but I'd have to at least feed it a couple bucks.

No way. My ems and early solid states are .25 per play with no replays or matches.

Operators are really concerned about missing out on a quarter on a replay or match?

Hope the player knows in advance. What’s the point of playing then?

Yes I would if I’ve never played it absolutely yes!! Because a dollar is the new quarter

So that people get to have fun and it's worth the operator's time and effort to put something different out on route.

In having a couple early games out for 6 months at a quarter per play with the matches/replays off I got zero complaints and a ton of thank you's.

A game uses about 300w per hour. At 13¢ a kwh that's about 3 hours for 13¢. If left on for 24 hours that would cost about $1 per day per machine. Depending on your machine and local rates the cost per day may be 50¢.

I'd pay a buck per if there was some really rare and old stuff. Woodrails, rare wedgeheads, in clean condition. Otherwise I'd probably pay a buck per game a few times if I were there otherwise, but I wouldn't travel for it.

Nope

But how many more would you get with replays?

2 for a buck would be OK with me, as long as the game was clean and working and 5 ball.

Exactly.

Screen Shot 2021-04-28 at 3.39.46 PM (resized).png

I have measured power consumption on my LED'd EM's and they average 1.2A while not being played. A bit more during actual game play. If the 13 cents per kWhr rate is used, that's 1.2x120/1000x24x0.13=45 cents a day or $13.50 a month.

I believe the last EM I played in the wild was at some ice cream shop in the Strip District of Pittsburgh a few years back, but I don't remember if it was a quarter a game or more. I might have popped in two quarters if it was 50 cents a game and wouldn't have thought twice about it. Maybe even four quarters if it was something I was eager to play (and had the quarters on hand).

I do though remember my frustration on this machine when on my first or second game I reached a score in which I should have won a replay and didn't. That was the last game I was willing to play. I assumed that the ice cream scooper person wasn't the person maintaining the machine and so didn't say anything about the fault (as I suspected it was a problem with the machine or inability of the staff to keep the machine working as it should and not an operator choice to prevent replays from being awarded). Winning replays is part of the fun and although I'd be willing to spend more than a quarter on a nice EM, I'm not sure I'd be so enthralled in playing a machine knowing that the operator is preventing the awarding of replays or that the machine is not working as it should.

I assume that operators have figured out the sweet spot for amount to charge and settings for replays--disabling them just sounds wrong. Isn't the slogan that goes with pinball machines something like have settings that make it fun and challenging for the player while keeping the game rewarding for the operator? Or at least I think I read something like this...

Good luck metalguy in figuring out what is best for you!

Yeah I've never understood end of game matches why give away games... unless it's a multiplayer trying to spark another round with multiple people.

On Em's, playfield specials and replays by score keep me pumping money in. 'ah crap so close... ok, one more game'. I think they are a good incentive to keep playing.

50cents per game max.

I had success at 50 cents. I would put a buck in one if it was something I wanted to play but doubt many would.

Would anyone put their minty EM on location set at 2 games for a quarter, 5 balls per game? Adjusted for inflation, a game in new condition should fetch $2.25 for 2 games.

Because there is almost no money in operating them as it is. If you see ems or early solid states on location, please put money in them. There’s way easier ways to make money than pinball, especially the classics. I have gumball machines that make more money than some of my classic pins.

My my sterns and wpc games have replay and matches enabled.

Since I walk right by them when they are free at shows I am going to say no.

No. I feel like EMs are set at a $.25. I think very few people will pay $1.00 for an EM.

I wouldn't mind paying 1$ for 5 balls, but truth is at any location that has EM and SS/Modern, I only play the modern games just because I don't have enough time and need to prioritize.

But if there was a bar with only EMs then I would definitely play the hell out of the EMs

I’d pay $1 per assuming you can win credits and the games were in perfect working condition.

If you see an EM on location that is in good condition. It's at the very least 44 years old. It's either a survivor or been lovingly restored/maintained. I'm not sure everyone enjoys them but It deserves a dollar a play I think.

You'd have to pay me $1/game.

Does your skin burn if you touch anything but a JJP?

Probably not unless it was something really rare.

His skill set is dialed in to play with pooling for strategy. JK!