Players Choice
About This Machine
The 1966 Players Choice is a rare pure-mechanical counter game manufactured by Peter Betres, doing business as Betco Products, Inc., of Butler, Pennsylvania. Unveiled at the 1966 MOA Convention in Chicago, it appears to be essentially the only game produced by Betres and his company, alongside a smaller sibling, the Model 4000, introduced at the same show.
Gameplay is simple yet charming: inserting a penny dispenses a gumball and simultaneously releases the game's steel balls onto the playfield for play. With 52 trap holes on the board, matching a standard deck, the game's poker theme is built into its design, echoed in the "PLAYERS CHOICE" playfield title. The cabinet holds up to 7,000 gumballs, giving Model 7000 its name.
Measured examples put the cabinet at roughly 24 5/8 inches long, 15 3/4 inches high, and 11 13/16 inches wide -- a compact tabletop unit. Its scarcity and offbeat blend of gumball vending and pinball-style trap-hole play make it a notable curiosity for collectors of mechanical coin-op games.
Images (18)
Technical Details
- Theme:
- Playing Cards - Poker
- Model Number:
- 7000
- Notable Features:
- 1 cent play. Trap holes (52). Inserting a penny dispenses a gumball to the player and also drops the steel balls on the playfield to the ball shooter for play. Holds 7,000 gumballs. Game advertised as about 22 inches long, 22 inches high, and 14 inches wide. An owner measured his game to be 24 5/8 inches long, 15 3/4 inches high, and 11 13/16 inches wide.