Tick 'a' Lite

Tick, manufactured by the Stoner Manufacturing Company of Aurora, Illinois in April 1935, is an early electro-mechanical payout machine with a horse-racing theme, offering 10 balls for 5 cents. It predates Stoner's 1935 'Transmitter,' the company's first game to pay out in cash, making Tick part of an earlier, ticket-based payout model.

Gameplay centered on the machine's two ball kickers and scoring pockets worth 1000, 2000, 3000, or 5000 points; a ticket was vended for each ball that landed in the 5000-point pocket. Operators could adjust the payout percentage by moving a brace on the playfield to block off the 1000, 2000, or 3000-point pockets, funneling more balls toward the higher-value 5000-point pocket. Three flashing lights added visual flair to the action, and an electric tilt mechanism prevented payout if triggered.

Tick shares its core design with Stoner's ticketless 'Cavalcade' of the same year, and its horse-racing theme reflected a popular payout-game motif of the mid-1930s. Measuring 41 by 21 inches, it's a compact example of Depression-era coin-operated gaming, built during a period when payout pinball machines were closely tied to the gambling and amusement trade.