Rodeo

The Rodeo, manufactured by Exhibit Supply Company (ESCO) of Chicago in June 1935, is an early single-player electromechanical payout machine with a rodeo theme. It operates on six dry cell batteries and features three kickers in the lower playfield that propel the ball upwards toward scoring holes.

A related version, shown in period advertising, was a 10-ball ticket-vendor model that was actually designed as an interchangeable playfield for Exhibit's 1932 'Play Ball'; that version dispensed a ticket printed with the player's total score at the end of the game.

As an early-1930s payout machine, the Rodeo offers a window into the mechanics and business model of Depression-era coin-operated amusements, when payout games using dry-cell battery power were common in arcades and other locations.