The deal

The Pinball Hall of Fame runs on the friendliest economics in Las Vegas: entry is free; you pay per play, some machines a dollar a game. The honest review (2023, after several visits) walks the rows of vintage machines and still lands firmly positive — the old pinballs reward players of every age — with one operational truth kept in: the sheer play volume at the busier Boulevard location means more games are down for repair than at the old hall at any given moment, though plenty are playable. A July 2021 visit, weeks after the new location opened, shows the floor in its first season — favorites like the Indiana Jones machine pointed out, flipper basics explained to a first-timer, staff and regulars happy to show you the ropes.

An HONEST Review of The Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas 2023

Joe In Vegas Reviews

Joe's honest 2023 review of the Pinball Hall of Fame at its Las Vegas Boulevard home near the Welcome sign, filmed after several visits since moving to Vegas. He walks the rows of vintage machines, notes that the sheer play volume at the busier Strip location means more games are down for repair than at the old hall, and still lands firmly positive: entry is free, games are cheap, and the old pinballs reward players of every age.

Key takeaways
  • Free entry; you pay per play. The hall moved from Tropicana Avenue to Las Vegas Boulevard south of the Welcome sign. Higher foot traffic means more machines awaiting repair, but plenty are playable. Good for all ages, especially anyone nostalgic for pre-video-game pinball.

New VEGAS Pinball Hall of Fame - Cheap Fun Things To Do In Las Vegas

Vegas Best Ideas

A July 2021 visit to the brand-new Pinball Hall of Fame across from the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, weeks after the new location opened. The hosts wander the floor, point out favorites like the Indiana Jones machine, explain the flipper basics to a first-time player, and take a turn themselves — their first game of pinball in about 20 years.

Key takeaways
  • Filmed in the new hall's opening weeks (July 2021). Located across from the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. Machines are pay-per-play, some a dollar a game. First-timer friendly — staff and regulars will show you the ropes.

Pinball Hall of Fame Las Vegas

Dani.702

Dani.702's 2018 first visit to the original Pinball Hall of Fame on Tropicana Avenue, two miles from the Strip. The film tells founder Tim Arnold's story — collecting since his teens, running the hall as a nonprofit with volunteer staff and proceeds to charity — and covers pinball's odd history, including its decades-long ban in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago when it was treated as gambling.

Key takeaways
  • Filmed at the original Tropicana Avenue hall (2018); the collection has since moved to Las Vegas Boulevard. Run as a nonprofit by founder Tim Arnold with volunteers. Proceeds go to charity. Machines date back to the 1940s and are kept in working order.

The move, documented

This page tells the relocation as the story it was. The original hall sat on Tropicana Avenue (the 2018 first-visit film, two miles from the Strip, is its portrait) until the pandemic squeezed the nonprofit and the lease ran out. Three 2021 films follow the rescue: the old hall mid-packing during the 'Save the Pinball Hall of Fame' fundraiser (a volunteer demonstrates how a machine is opened up and diagnosed — repair work is done in-house); a sneak-peek tour of the new building days before it opened, founder-led, the campaign about $70,000 short of its goal on filming day; and the April 2021 soft opening, fundraiser supporters only, a $20 shirt purchase for entry, cash or PayPal only. The new hall sits on Las Vegas Boulevard, across from the Welcome to Las Vegas sign — pairing two of the city's most photogenic bargains in one stop.

The nonprofit under it

Founder Tim Arnold — collecting since his teens — runs the hall as a nonprofit with volunteer staff and proceeds to charity; the machines date back to the 1940s and are kept in working order by the people you'll meet on the floor. The 2018 film adds pinball's odd history, including its decades-long ban in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago, when it was treated as gambling. A silent walking tour of the current floor (November 2021) closes the page as watch content: hundreds of machines, sights and sounds, no narration needed.

Sources: the seven videos on this page — a 2023 honest review, an opening-weeks visit, three relocation films, a 2018 original-hall portrait, and a floor walkthrough — summarized from their entries in our catalog.

Sneak Peek Tour Pinball Hall of Fame Las Vegas | New Location

Las Vegas and Beyond

A February 2021 sneak-peek tour of the Pinball Hall of Fame's new Las Vegas Boulevard building days before it opened, guided by founder Tim Arnold during the 'Save the Pinball Hall of Fame' fundraiser — the campaign was about $70,000 short of its goal on filming day. Arnold shows off the immersive backglass displays and details like the expanded restrooms that fix the old hall's single-bathroom queues.

Key takeaways
  • Filmed Feb 2021, pre-opening, during the relocation fundraiser. Founder Tim Arnold leads the tour himself. The new hall sits on Las Vegas Boulevard by the Welcome sign. The old Tropicana hall's one-toilet bottleneck was a running joke the new building fixes.

Pinball Hall of Fame Las Vegas UPDATE: Soft Opening

Las Vegas and Beyond

Las Vegas and Beyond returns for the new Pinball Hall of Fame's April 2021 soft opening, when entry was limited to fundraiser supporters. The walk-through shows the 1980s-heavy lineup in the new Las Vegas Boulevard space and explains the soft-opening rules of the moment: a $20 shirt purchase got you in, and it was cash or PayPal only — no ATM or card reader yet.

Key takeaways
  • Filmed at the April 2021 soft opening; the hall fully opened later that spring. Early entry required buying a $20 support shirt. Cash or PayPal only at that stage. The collection leans heavily into 1980s machines.

Las Vegas Favorite Attraction | Save the Pinball Hall of Fame

Las Vegas and Beyond

Filmed in February 2021 at the old Tropicana Avenue hall mid-packing, this 'Save the Pinball Hall of Fame' appeal documents the move to the bigger Las Vegas Boulevard site: the pandemic had squeezed the nonprofit, the Tropicana lease was ending in May 2021, and a GoFundMe carried the relocation. Volunteer Beth demonstrates how a machine is opened up and diagnosed, a behind-the-glass look at what keeping vintage pinball alive actually takes.

Key takeaways
  • Filmed Feb 2021 at the original Tropicana hall during the move. Run by volunteers; founder Tim Arnold explains the relocation. Repair work is done in-house by volunteers. The hall has since reopened on Las Vegas Boulevard.

Watch: Pinball Hall Of Fame, guided

1 videos · summaries from the actual guides

Pinball Hall of Fame, Las Vegas - Walking Tour

Explore Vegas

A silent, music-only walking tour of the Pinball Hall of Fame's Las Vegas Boulevard floor (November 2021) — no narration, just the sights and sounds of hundreds of vintage machines. Watch it for the floor layout and the range of games on offer.

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