Am I legally allowed to put a personal pinball machine in the lobby?

cspacefan

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Am I legally allowed to put a personal pinball machine in the lobby?

I have a crazy question for the group.
If I was nuts enough to leave a pinball table that I own in the lobby of my apartment building, what legal/licensing issues would I have if I charged money for people to use it?
I don't actually own a pinball machine right now because space is a major factor in my place. It occured to me that there is decent space in the lobby in my apartment building and I'm sure the other tenants would be fine if I asked them if I could put a pinball table down there. I realize I would need to chain the machine to the wall so it doesn't get stolen, but having said that my neighbors are a pretty good bunch so I would really only need to worry about visitors to the place.
I also realize I am inviting trouble (smashed glass, initials carved in the side art, etc. etc.) so I'm thinking this whole thing through.

However my biggest stumbling block is, as a private owner, am I even allowed to do this? Would I need some kind of licence to charge quarters for playing my machine in a private residence? It's a weird scenario so I'm just asking if anyone here has done this or has advice.
 
Freeplay doesn't necessarily make it OK, the local ordinances may classify it as an entertainment device used for solicitation and then it would need to be licensed and possibly even insured.

You do really need to check your local ordinances for entertainment devices, amusement devices, and even gambling devices (some of the old laws haven't been dropped classifying pins as gambling devices).
 
Freeplay doesn't necessarily make it OK, the local ordinances may classify it as an entertainment device used for solicitation and then it would need to be licensed and possibly even insured.

You do really need to check your local ordinances for entertainment devices, amusement devices, and even gambling devices (some of the old laws haven't been dropped classifying pins as gambling devices).

Yep what Oryk said....

Especially the insurance part.....What if in some freakish event your pinball machine flipped over and crushed a person or managed to electrocute them..... who is responsible then? Someone is going to carry insurance on it....

Maybe you have room for a Zizzle in your place....LOL
 
oh......so disregard what I said! :)


No, what you said may be enough depending on his local laws/ordinances.

I would be very concerned about my neighbors ratting me out if it was set to take quarters. However, I certainly understand the desire to recoup some money to help pay for the cost of repairs that are inevitable on pins.

I am currently in negotiations with a guy who wants to put video games on location at his classis console gaming store. It will provide me with a place to store my games but I am looking for a small monthly stipend to cover the cost of repairs. So far he seems to be onboard with what I am proposing...
 
also depends on the state you're in. In illinois, you have to apply for a tax ID number, fill out some paperwork, and pay $30 a year per machine and put the tax sticker on your machine.

Failure to do so, will get your machine seized. This is in addition to any local ordinances or taxes.
 
I'll just cut to the chase: bad idea in my opinion for many reasons.

Abuse/destruction is much more likely with an unattended machine. And when some kid puts his foot through the glass because he decided to use it as a jungle gym, or some chick has glass shards in her ass because she and her drunk boyfriend decided to fool around on the top of the machine, guess who they're going to sue?

Second, the lobby of your apartment isn't zoned for this sort of thing. Likely the cops/city won't care about a game or two (or even know it's there), but if anything DOES happen, yup, they will immediately point out that you should never have kept it there in the first place, and that alone will trump almost anything. "But officer, they were screwing on top of the machine!" Nope, won't matter, still your fault.

Lots of other reasons - LL will want a cut. Kids will bring school friends into the building and create a loitering/noise situation. Game or Kid noise may piss off neighbors. Game will get vandalized or stolen. Not worth it.
 
You all bring up excellent points, I won't open this can of worms. Thanks.

Looks like I need to bulldoze a wall or two if I want my pinball.
 
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