Races

The Western Equipment & Supply Company's "Races," manufactured in April 1936, is a one-ball, single-player electro-mechanical payout machine built around a horse-racing theme. No production quantity is documented for the game, so its rarity today is unknown.

Its standout feature is a multiple coin chute -- where legally permitted -- that allowed over 20 coins to be inserted for a single game, letting players choose their level of investment. The machine ran on a Stancor Univerter transformer, with batteries offered as an alternative power source, and a ticket-dispensing model was available at extra cost. It used an unusually large, 1-inch bronze ball, and the cabinet was advertised at 50 inches long by 24 inches wide.

Little else is documented about the game's designer or artwork. As an early one-ball payout machine built around horse racing -- a popular theme for gambling-oriented pinballs of the era -- "Races" offers a window into the coin-op payout machines that operated alongside amusement-only pinball in the mid-1930s.