Daily Double (Standard)

The Daily Double (Standard) from Daval Manufacturing Co. of Chicago is a rare and significant find for pinball collectors. Put into production in December 1935 after several months of development, it is a one-ball payout machine from the era when pinball and gambling equipment overlapped, and it offers a glimpse into the horse-race betting games that were enormously popular in the mid-1930s.

True to its horse racing theme, the Daily Double's playfield uses its ten trap holes to mirror the outcomes of a day at the track: one DAILY DOUBLE hole, two WIN holes, two PLACE holes, four SHOW holes, and one ALSO RAN hole serving as the outhole. Three captive balls add visual interest to the layout. The cabinet was advertised as 40 inches long and 20 inches wide, and the Standard version sold new for $77.50, with a check separator available for $5.00 extra. A De Luxe version was also produced.

The game's production history has its own wrinkles: IPDB previously dated the game to September 1935, but trade press from that fall indicates it was still in development, with manufacturer ads for the Standard and De Luxe versions not appearing until December 1935. References to a "Junior" model appear to trace back to a single 1936 distributor ad and likely do not reflect an actual separate version. Despite its relative obscurity, the Daily Double (Standard) remains a treasured find for those seeking to own a piece of pinball's payout-game era.