Cigarette Pin Game

The Cigarette Pin Game, manufactured by Bally Manufacturing Corporation in 1936, is a single-player electro-mechanical (EM) machine (Model 81) that Bally's own records classify as a payout machine -- a coin-operated device that dispensed payouts, often cigarettes or trade credit, based on where the ball landed, a common format for amusement machines of the era in the years before widespread gambling regulation. It comes from well before flippers existed; those were not introduced until 1947, so gameplay would have relied on a plunger-launched ball, bumpers, and targets connected to mechanical relays and switches.

The Cigarette Pin Game's aesthetic was likely characteristic of early electromechanical machines, with clean lines and functional components rather than elaborate artwork.

The machine's name may relate to cigarette-brand prizes or advertising tie-ins common to payout machines of the period, though this cannot be confirmed from available records. As one of the earlier surviving examples from Bally's payout-machine line, it holds interest for collectors and historians due to its rarity and age.