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Half the pubs in my town swapped pokies for pinball and I'm torn on it
I grew up in Geelong and every local had a corner with a row of poker machines humming away. Over the last 5 years, at least 6 of those venues ripped them out and put in retro arcade cabinets and pinball tables instead. On one hand it's awesome, you can grab a schooner and actually talk to mates without that depressing electronic chorus in the background. But on the other hand, the pokies paid the bills for these places, and I've seen two of those pubs close down since making the switch. The ones that survive seem to pull in the younger crowd on weekends, but the old regulars just stopped coming entirely. Is this a genuine trend across the country or just a Geelong thing? I'm curious if anyone else has watched their local do the same flip and what happened with the crowd balance.
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dylanmurray13d ago
My local in Ballarat did the exact same thing about 3 years ago, ripped out 8 machines and put in 4 pinball tables and a couple old arcade cabinets. First 6 months were rough, the Thursday night crowd of old blokes just vanished and the till took a hit. But then word got around and now Friday and Saturday are packed with people in their 20s and 30s who never would have set foot in the place before. The publican told me the pinball leagues on Tuesday nights bring in more than the pokies ever did on a Tuesday, though I'm not sure I believe him. What I've noticed is the pubs that went halfway, like keeping 2 machines and adding a few games, seem to do better than the ones that went all in. The ones that closed near me were already struggling before the swap, so I don't know if you can blame the pinball. Your mileage may vary but from what I've seen the vibe is way better even if the money is a bit up and down.
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