Which popular game was banned in New York City from 1942 to 1976?

In the mid-20th century, New York City banned what today is a harmless pastime: pinball.

Pinball quickly became popular in the U.S. during the 1930s, after the production of the first coin-operated machine in 1931. Before the advent of flippers in 1947, pinball was a different game from what it is today; players were at the mercy of the random bounce of the ball. With little to no skill involved, it was viewed as a game of chance, and people began gambling on the outcome of games.

By the 1940s the arcade game was viewed by many as the scourge of society. Law enforcement and civic groups denounced the game for its gambling connections. Churches and school boards claimed that it corrupted the morals of America’s children, by encouraging them to steal coins, skip school in order to play, and go hungry by wasting their lunch money on the machines.

New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia was among those who believed that pinball bred crime and juvenile delinquency. The city council approved LaGuardia’s ban on pinball machines in public spaces on January 21, 1942. Mayor LaGuardia often accompanied police squads on photo ops as they raided candy stores, bowling alleys, bars and amusement centers, smashing machines to pieces. Other major cities like Chicago and Los Angeles soon joined the ban.

In 1974, the California Supreme Court passed a ruling which stated pinball was a game of skill rather than a game of chance. Two years later, New York lifted its ban also.