Spot-Lite

The Spot-Lite, manufactured by D. Gottlieb & Company in February 1937, is a payout machine from the pre-flipper era, designed to dispense winnings to players based on results rather than simply track score. It reflects the significant role that payout and gambling-style pinball played in the coin-op industry during the 1930s.

The Spot-Lite features 18 tripper bumpers, a staple of period EM pinball design, and an electric clock mounted on top of its backbox. Advertised at 52 inches long and 26 inches wide, the machine could be ordered with an optional Electropak and DC Adaptopak (for $5 extra), a complimentary check separator, and a Ticket Game configuration for $10 extra, options that reflect the variety of payout formats operators could choose from.

While little else is documented about the Spot-Lite's design or artwork, its configuration as a payout machine with optional ticket and check-separator features makes it a distinctive piece of 1930s coin-op history, illustrating the close relationship between pinball and gambling devices before payout machines were pushed out of the market by later legislation.