New State Law Opens Pinball to All Ages

Teenagers in South Carolina are now free to flip away on pinball machines—legally, and for the first time since the Eisenhower era. A law signed May 19 by Gov. Henry McMaster erased pinball from a list of "status offenses" that had prohibited anyone under 18 from playing since 1959, grouping the game with infractions like running away or sneaking into a theater. The ban was essentially never enforced, but business owners worried that letting minors play could put licenses at risk, said House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, who sponsored the bill.

The change follows a decade of failed attempts to fix what many lawmakers openly mocked as an outdated rule. During debate, senators confessed they'd been "habitual offenders," including one who blew his allowance on pinball as a teen and another who regularly takes his 6-year-old to a brewery to play X-Men and Ghostbusters machines. The lone "no" vote came from Sen. Rex Rice, who was wary of unintentionally opening the door to gambling, as happened with video poker decades ago. Arcade owners like Erin Edwards, whose clientele is heavy on 8- to 12-year-olds, said the new law simply brings the code in line with reality: "Bring on the kiddos."

• South Carolina does enjoy its pinball, at places including the favorably reviewed Radioactive Pinball Arcade in Aiken and the Myrtle Beach Pinball Museum.