Pinball Machines - By The Numbers
( Within the USA unless otherwise noted - " Modern " denotes pinball machines made after 1985 )
Last Updated On : Friday July 25, 2025 |
| $80 Million | Estimated total worldwide sales of all (new and used) pinball machines (2004) |
| $45 Million | Estimated total worldwide sales of new pinball machines (2004) |
| $20 Million | Estimated total worldwide consumer sales of new pinball machines (2007) |
| $12 Million | Estimated total worldwide consumer sales of new pinball machines (2004) |
| $500,000 | Estimated total worldwide consumer sales of new pinball machines (1994) |
| < 5 % | Approximate percentage of new pinball machines sold to consumers in 1990 |
| 45 % | Approximate percentage of new pinball machines sold to consumers in 2007 |
| 2300% | Approximate increase in consumer sales of pinball machines since 1994 |
| $112 Million | Approximate spending ( usage ) on coin-operated pinball played on public locations (2004) |
| 45,000 | Estimated number of units of pinball machines in public locations (2004) |
$20,100 | Highest price ever paid for a single pinball machine (2006 - Big Bang Bar, c1997) |
| $4,400 | Average price of a brand new coin-operated pinball machine (2004) |
| $3,300 | Average price of a modern used coin-operated pinball machine in fully restored condition |
| $1,500 | Average price of a modern used coin-operated pinball machine in good but unrestored condition |
| 75,000 | Highest number made for a single pinball machine ("Ballyhoo", c1934) |
| 20,270 | Highest number made for a modern pinball machine ("Addams Family", c1992) |
| 10,000 | Approximate number of pinball machines produced worldwide (2004) |
| 4,500 | Approximate number of different pinball models made since 1930 |
| 2,500 | Average total unit production for a individual pinball title |
| 3,500 | Average number of component parts in a modern pinball machine |
| 1,200 | Average number of screws, nuts and washers in a modern pinball machine |
| 120 | Average number of lights, buLbs and flashers in a modern pinball machine |
| 1 Year | Average amount of time needed to design a modern pinball machine |
| 1/2 Mile | Average amount of wire needed to produce a modern pinball machine |
| 30 Years | Estimated life span of a modern pinball machine |
| 30 - 120 Days | Average production lifespan (before being discontinued) for a new pinball machine in 1978 |
| 6 - 36 Months | Average production lifespan (before being discontinued) for a new pinball machine in 2008 |
| 23 | Number of major pinball machine manufacturers worldwide (1980) |
| 1 | Number of major pinball machine manufacturers worldwide (2007) |
| 1800's | First pinball-like games ("Bagatelle" machines) are introduced in Europe |
| 1931 | First coin-operated pinball machine introduced ("Waffle Board") |
| 1966 | First pinball machine with digital scoring is introduced ("Rally Girl") |
| 1975 | First "all electronic" solid-state pinball machine introduced ("Spirit of 76") |
| 1976 | Year the last holdout state in the nation, New York, makes pinball machines "legal" to play |
| 1979 | First "talking" or electronic speech pinball machine introduced ("Gorgar") |
| 1999 | First pinball machine to incorporate video display technology ("Revenge From Mars") |
| 2006 | First "all-digital" pinball machine made with a full digital video display playfield ("UltraPin") |
Sources: BMIGaming.com | PinballNews.com | Internet Pinball Database || Playmeter Magazine | Stern Pinball |
