Turf Special

The Turf Special, manufactured by Bally in July 1938 (model 187), is a one-player electro-mechanical payout machine with a horse racing theme. At this point in pinball history, games were still in the electro-mechanical era, and the industry was rapidly evolving from its roots as a novelty entertainment.

As a payout machine, the Turf Special would have paid winnings directly based on game outcome, in keeping with the many racing-and-gambling themed payout pins Bally produced during this period. Specific details about its playfield features or gameplay mechanics have not survived in the historical record.

As an EM-era horse racing payout machine, the Turf Special is of interest to collectors and historians researching pinball's early gambling-adjacent machines, offering a glimpse into the early days of coin-operated entertainment. Due to the limited availability of information, further details about its design, art, or notable features remain unknown.