Next time you’re in Vegas, how about dropping a few quarters into a machine that won’t pay-off in cash, but rather in fun?

It seems that everything in Las Vegas wants some kind of money put into it, whether it’s a slot machine, a valet’s hand, or even the mega-buck restaurants that replaced the $2.95 all-you-can-eat buffets.

Well, here’s one more thing vying for your coins in Vegas: The Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame. The difference is that these machines pay-out in fun and nostalgia and compared to everything else, are pretty darned cheap to play!

The Pinball Hall of Fame (let’s call it the PHoF for now) is the result of a super-collector by the name of Tim Arnold and a local pinball collecting club’s efforts to create the largest displayed collection of pinball machines. The machines are maintained in perfect condition by the members of the club, under the umbrella of a non-profit organization. The majority of the machines are 1950-1970s, but machines up to the mid 1990s are included (my favorites!) The older machines are 25 cents to play and the newer machines are 50 cents. It seems that even a non-profit group of collectors can’t help but to follow the unfortunate trend of increasing price-per-play of the recent years.

Campy is probably what you’d call the LV PHoF with it’s decidedly “cheap” look, ranging from the surplus convention carpet on the floors to the witty hand-made signs. Even the change machines were rescued from a trash can when a casino threw them out. They do this to keep costs low and truly remain a non-profit dedicated to promoting pinball playing to everyone. Oh – and there’s even a few classic video games as well, so us members of the Atari generation aren’t left-out either!

So, the next time you’re in Las Vegas and you want to take a break from the slots, head three miles down Tropicana Blvd. to the Pinball Hall of Fame and bask in the glory that once-was the pinball era.