Nation’s Attic specializes in factory correct antique slot machine repair. Vintage Mills and OD Jennings slot machines made from the 1880’s to the 1950’s are our specialty. Today there are very few experts that can properly restore these slot machines. Note: We have thousands of parts and take the time to clean, calibrate, and test in an actual machine before shipping, all pictures are for reference only and may not reflect the actual parts cleanliness.
State Laws for legal Slot Machine Ownership
GAMBLING DEVICE. You must understand that using a slot machine for profit or gambling purposes is illegal and could subject you to severe penalties. Before purchasing a slot machine you must understand that every state does not allow ownership of these machines. However, we suggest that you check with your local authorities. We assume no responsibility for errors.
Pachislo machines are also know as Skill Stop, or Japanese Slot Machines. You may see that some people will advertise these as being authentic slot machines and might even state ‘Like used in Vegas’. This is not the case though it is possible to set these machines up to accept US coins, they are designed to accept tokens. The listing indicates which states these Pachislo machines are legal to operate.
New Information: We believe there is a concern over the legalities of these Pachislo machines in the States of Colorado, California, Washington, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota and Oregon
ALABAMA Any Machine PROHIBITED
ALASKA Any Machine LEGAL– Pachislo OK
ARIZONA Any Machine LEGAL–Pachislo OK
ARKANSAS Any Machine LEGAL, Registration Required.–Pachislo OK
CALIFORNIA 25 Years or Older or Slot Business Reg. W/DOJ
COLORADO Introduced pre-1984 or Slot Business Reg. W/DOJ
CONNECTICUT Any Machine PROHIBITED
DELAWARE 25 Years or Older–Pachislo OK
FLORIDA 20 Yrs. or Older or Slot Bus. Reg. W/DOJ –Pachislo OK
GEORGIA Pre – 1950
HAWAII Any Machine PROHIBITED — Pachislo OK
IDAHO Pre – 1950 — Pachislo OK
ILLINOIS 25 Years or Older– Pachislo OK
INDIANA 40 Years or older — Pachislo OK (Law changed in 2012 to allow possession IC 35-45-5-3.5 Version a)
IOWA 25 Years or Older
KANSAS Pre – 1950– Pachislo OK
KENTUCKY Any Machine LEGAL– Pachislo OK
LOUISIANA 25 Years or Older– Pachislo OK
MAINE Any Machine LEGAL– Pachislo OK
MARYLAND 25 Years or Older– Pachislo OK
MASSACHUSETTS 30 Years or Older. Poker machines & Video gaming devices of any age are legal for personal use.– Pachislo OK
MICHIGAN 25 Years or Older– Pachislo OK
MINNESOTA Any Machine LEGAL– Pachislo OK
MISSISSIPPI 25 Years or Older
MISSOURI 30 Years or Older
MONTANA 25 Years or Older. Machines are not allowed to be on public premises for sale or display.
NEBRASKA Any Machine PROHIBITED
NEW HAMPSHIRE 25 Years or Older
NEW JERSEY 30 Years or Older– Pachislo OK
NEW MEXICO: We received a letter from the Gaming Control Board of New Mexico stating the following; The only gambling device that my be possessed without a license from the board is a bona fide antique device. An antique gambling device is a gambling device that is at least 25 years old, is substantially in original condition, and is not used for gambling or located in a gambling place. It is illegal to possess gambling devices otherwise, in New Mexico unless you are a distributor, manufacturer or operator licensed by the board. “This letter was dated August 2, 2000”.
NEW YORK 30 Years or Older– Pachislo OK
NEVADA Any Machine LEGAL. — Pachislo OK
NORTH CAROLINA 25 Years or Older
NORTH DAKOTA 25 Years or Older– Pachislo OK
Slot Machine Repair Arkansas
OHIO Any Machine LEGAL– Pachislo OK
OKLAHOMA 25 Years or Older– Pachislo OK
OREGON 25 Years or Older — Pachislo OK only if the Pachislo machine is over 25 years old
PENNSYLVANIA Pre – 1941– Pachislo OK
RHODE ISLAND Any Machine LEGAL
SOUTH CAROLINA Any Machine PROHIBITED
SOUTH DAKOTA Pre – 1941
TENNESSEEAny Machine PROHIBITED– Pachislo OK
TEXAS Any Machine LEGAL– Pachislo OK
UTAH Any Machine LEGAL– Pachislo OK
VERMONT Pre – 1954
VIRGINIA Any Machine LEGAL– Pachislo OK
WASHINGTON 25 Years or Older– Pachislo OK
WASHINGTON D.C. Pre – 1952
WEST VIRGINIA Any Machine LEGAL– Pachislo OK
WISCONSIN 25 Years or Older
WYOMING 25 Years or Older
Owning a vintage slot machine is one of those fun yet daunting ideas. Many old school one-armed bandits are beautifully designed and instant conversation pieces. Plus slot fans who own a machine don’t ever have to worry about losing money to the house.
Slot Machine Repair Near Me
Charles August Fey, a Bavaria-born inventor, was living in San Francisco when he invented his first gambling machine in 1984. His games grew to be so popular at local bars, he quit his day job and opened a factory to start mass producing them, most notably the Liberty Bell machines in 1899. A lot of the functionality from that early game remained in place through much of the 20th century. Watch this video to see the seven mechanical actions set into motion when you pull back the bandit’s arm. The inner workings are probably a little more complex than you expect.
Given that a lot of old slot machines are hand built, it isn’t surprising that coins can get jammed on their way through the mechanism. Big warning: If your machine jams, don’t force the arm or you can break, twist or damage a part inside. Different models and makes tend to have common jam points. The Mills model shown in the above video can have coins stuck in the “elevator” section that displays the last five coins dropped into the machine. Getting the slot working again can be as simple as cleaning the gunk off of an old part. You just need to be smart when you’re disassembling and reassembling the machinery.
Okay, there are plenty of more places where a coin can get stuck and the above video demonstrates how to fix a variety of jams. It also explains how to disassemble the major parts of the machine and where common problem areas are.
Curious how an antique slot machine knows how much money a winner gets? This video shows the punch-card like communication that trips payouts and how. If you ever need to replace the reel symbols or calibrate the machine you’ll need to understand how these work. Even if you don’t ever plan on owning a machine, the metallic “circuitry” is interesting to see.
Want to own a modern slot machine? New ones have plenty more bells, whistles and dings, and also a lot more advanced parts. If you plan on getting one, you may want to have an idea of what’s inside. In addition to the classic reels, there are speakers, motherboards filled with programming chips and plenty of wires. Unless you have a way with a soldering iron you probably won’t try and fix it. But in case you do, here’s a clip from Discovery showing what’s inside.
Did you know newer slot machines are smart enough to test themselves when a problem happens? This video shows you the procedure for having the machine check its own system. The host’s desert dry delivery is also enough to make this vid worth a watch.