Daily Races

The Daily Races pinball machine, produced by D. Gottlieb & Company in March 1936, is a historic example of the horse-race payout games that dominated the coin-machine trade in the mid-1930s. With artwork by Roy Parker, this electro-mechanical, single-player one-ball game let a player wager a coin, shoot a single ball, and hope it landed in a winning hole - the gambling formula that made horse racing one of the era's most popular pinball themes.

The machine came equipped with Gottlieb's ElectroPak power unit and a multiple coin chute for accepting different wagers. Its cabinet was advertised as 50 inches long and 24 inches wide. Gottlieb offered the game at $125 new, with a ticket model at $135, a check separator for $5 extra, and a mint vender option for $10 extra. Trade press from May 1936 shows Gottlieb announcing the ticket model was "now ready for immediate delivery," though the company had advertised it as early as March of that year.

Daily Races remains a fascinating piece of pinball history, offering a glimpse into the payout-machine era when Gottlieb and its competitors built games as much for wagering as for amusement, well before flippers transformed pinball into a game of skill.