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A mechanical device patented by Harry Hoke, Jr., required the player to flip a steel ball into a snake’s mouth before the machine would pay out—a feature billed as “Compulsory Skill Control” on the body of the machine. Although this feat required very little expertise, it allowed the machine’s classification as a game of skill rather than a game of chance, thus circumventing anti-gambling ordinances in many states. A horizontal coin escalator at the top of the machine was viewed through a window in the body of the snake. All objects are courtesy of the Joe Welch American Antique Museum. See "#GamesofChance: Gambling Devices of the Mechanical Age", on display, post-security, in Terminal 3. http://bit.ly/GamesofChance
This image was posted on February 24, 2017.