Museum of Pinball, Banning, Southern California is dead

[SoCalJasonland]

I kind of feel like arcades, FECs, and amusement type places are similar, so I posted this here.  The museum of pinball in Banning California has closed and there will be an auction to liquidate the equipment.  Banning was near Casino Morongo so nice for gambling and arcade games.  Despite the article, you previously were able to play all weekend for $150 or approx. $60 per day.  It was a nice family weekend.  I am glad the pinball place survived in Vegas.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/07/a-look-back-at-the-museum-of-pinballs-huge-collection-of-games/

[JG-77]

What a shame, I wonder where the machines will end up. I was in Roanoke VA a few weeks ago and there was an awesome pinball museum there where you paid like $12.50 for unlimited play.

[SoCalJasonland]

It looks like the pinball museums in Vegas and Banning, no relation from each other, each decided to expand right before COVID.  The one in Vegas moved to the strip near the LV airport and used gofundme and other sponsors to stay afloat.  I don't remember the Banning pinball place asking for help to move to Palm Springs and I think people would have donated if they would have asked for assistance. Unfortunately, the Banning pinball location failed. I appreciate your comment and I use to live down the road from you in Richmond,  VA and the $12.50 that you quoted for pinball is a great value.

[SoCalJasonland]

 

They got over $5,000,000 in the auction for the games and they state the museum was still a money losing venture.  Ouch!  It is ironic that the location is going to be used to grow marijuana considering how anti-drug the pinball museum owner is.  I guess there isn't much else use for Banning land beside tribal gaming, outlet stores, and a couple giant dinosaurs.

[alinelarkin]

On 7/21/2021 at 3:39 AM, SoCalJasonland said:

I kind of feel like arcades, FECs, and amusement type places are similar, so I posted this here.  The museum of pinball in Banning California has closed and there will be an auction to liquidate the equipment.  Banning was near Casino Morongo so nice for gambling and arcade games.  Despite the article, you previously were able to play all weekend for $150 or approx. $60 per day.  It was a nice family weekend.  I am glad the pinball place survived in Vegas.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/07/a-look-back-at-the-museum-of-pinballs-huge-collection-of-games/ friday night funkin

Ah bound to happen. As with pretty much any museum. Unless you have a bunch of money coming in regardless of visitor rate, you need philanthropists willing to just throw money at it. Without that they will always be at risk of shutting the doors down the next day.