# The Pinball Show Ep 127.5: Is Harry Potter Pinball Really Happening?!

**Source:** The Pinball Show  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2023-05-15  
**Duration:** 4m 38s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.thepinballnetwork.net/e/the-pinball-show-ep-1275-is-harry-potter-pinball-really-happening/

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## Analysis

Zach Minney announces on The Pinball Show that Jersey Jack Pinball has officially secured the Harry Potter license for pinball, breaking news posted by Joe Kamenkow on May 14, 2023. This represents a major industry milestone, as Harry Potter has long been considered an unobtainable license due to J.K. Rowling's reported reluctance to license the theme for pinball machines. The episode teases exclusive extended content for paid Patreon members discussing details of the license acquisition and history of licensing attempts.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Jersey Jack Pinball has secured the official license for Harry Potter for pinball machines — _Announced directly by Joe Kamenkow on his personal Facebook page on May 14, 2023, as quoted by host Zach Minney_
- [MEDIUM] Harry Potter has been rumored for years as an unobtainable license due to J.K. Rowling's reported reluctance to license the theme for pinball — _Zach Minney references years of rumors and speculation that 'jk rowling will not license out this theme to pinball' and notes it was considered unlikely she would license it as a 'multi-billion dollar theme'_
- [MEDIUM] Harry Potter is arguably the most highly sought-after license in pinball, potentially more desirable than any other theme — _Described by Minney as 'one of the most highly sought after unobtaiinium licenses rumored for years a dream theme grail game arguably more so than any other title'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Jersey Jack has secured the license for Harry Potter for pinball. No waiting, no speculation, they locked it in."
> — **Joe Kamenkow (via Facebook post quoted by Zach Minney)**, May 14, 2023 (referenced in episode)
> _Official announcement of the historic license acquisition that ends years of speculation_

> "One of the most highly sought after unobtaiinium licenses rumored for years a dream theme grail game arguably more so than any other title"
> — **Zach Minney**, During episode 127.5
> _Contextualizes the significance of the Harry Potter license within the pinball community's wish list_

> "JK Rowling will not license out this theme to pinball... she is not into this type of product for her multi-billion dollar theme"
> — **Zach Minney (summarizing prior industry rumors)**, During episode 127.5
> _Explains the prevailing industry assumption that made this license acquisition unexpected_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer that has secured the official Harry Potter pinball license |
| Joe Kamenkow | person | Industry figure who publicly announced the Harry Potter license acquisition on his personal Facebook page on May 14, 2023 |
| Zach Minney | person | Host of The Pinball Show; broke the news on this episode and contextualized the significance of the announcement |
| J.K. Rowling | person | Author and rights holder of Harry Potter intellectual property; previously believed to be unwilling to license theme for pinball |
| Harry Potter | game | Upcoming Jersey Jack Pinball machine based on the Harry Potter franchise; long-rumored as unobtainable license |
| The Pinball Show | organization | Podcast hosted by Zach Minney; provides this news announcement and offers extended exclusive content to Patreon subscribers |
| The Pinball Show Club | organization | Patreon-funded membership program offering exclusive episodes, Discord access, and industry discussions |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Licensing and IP acquisition, Jersey Jack Pinball business developments, Industry announcements and news, Harry Potter theme history in pinball community
- **Secondary:** Podcast memberships and monetization

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.92) — Host expresses excitement and significance about the announcement; describes it as breaking years of speculation and fulfilling a long-held community wish. The tone is celebratory, though the full episode context is paywalled.

### Signals

- **[market_signal]** Harry Potter pinball shifting from industry legend/grail game wish to confirmed reality; represents historic moment for community (confidence: high) — Host describes announcement as causing 'the pinball world stopped on Mother's Day' and frames it as breaking years of speculation
- **[licensing_signal]** Jersey Jack Pinball successfully obtained Harry Potter license after years of industry belief that J.K. Rowling would not license the theme for pinball machines (confidence: high) — Official announcement by Joe Kamenkow on Facebook, May 14, 2023; quoted directly by host Zach Minney as definitive proof
- **[announcement]** Official confirmation of Harry Potter pinball machine development by Jersey Jack Pinball (confidence: high) — Public announcement on Joe Kamenkow's Facebook page with explicit statement 'Jersey Jack has secured the license for Harry Potter for pinball. No waiting, no speculation, they locked it in.'
- **[licensing_signal]** Major theme licensing breakthrough for pinball industry; Harry Potter previously considered impossible to license due to rights holder reluctance (confidence: high) — Years of community rumors cited that J.K. Rowling would not license theme; Zach Minney describes it as the most sought-after unobtainable license in pinball history

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## Transcript

Warning, the following episode contains adult language and screaming goats. Listener discretion is advised. Pinball Network is online. Launching the Pinball Show. Thanks again for the ongoing support as Pinball Show Club member. Enjoy this exclusive TPS content and make sure to visit the Pinball Show Club Discord to chat about the bonus material. Hey everybody, welcome to episode 127.5 of the Pinball Show. I'm your host Zach Meny, and I just could not wait until next week to provide you all with an exclusive discussion about some Harry Potter pinball news. This last weekend, the pinball world stopped on Mother's Day, as many of us witnessed and seen on social media, particularly Facebook, a post by the legendary Joe Kamenkow, and that post read the following. Hey, pinball fans, here's the scoop. Jersey Jack has secured the license for Harry Potter for pinball. No waiting, no speculation, they locked it in. You alright, Harry? You seem very quiet. He killed my parents, didn't he? The one who gave me this. You know, Hagrid, I know you do. First and understand this, Harry, because it's very important. Not all Wizards are good. Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light. There's hope for us, for all of us. Do not forget the dead. If that does nothing for you, then neither will pinball in general. Likely one of the most highly sought after unobtainium licenses, rumored for years, a dream theme grail game, arguably more desirable than any other title. Harry Potter. This theme has lore built into it. When it comes to pinball, we've been told for years that J.K. Rowling will not license out this theme to pinball. Rumors have said that she is not into this type of product for her multi-billion dollar theme. They're some of the most popular novels ever created, some of the most popular films ever created. And now the possibility for it to be one of the most popular pinball machines ever produced. Question mark. Let's back up here a little bit. Sunday evening, May 14th, 2023, Joe Kamenkow posted that on his personal Facebook page alongside... To hear the rest of this episode and the potential of an actual Harry Potter pinball machine, whether it's really going to be made, other details regarding the history of attempts to obtain this license, and general information as to what we know at the Pinball Show regarding everything Harry Potter pinball, sign up at patreon.com/thepinballshow to become an official member of the Pinball Show Club. Entry level is just ten dollars a month. You'll receive a private Discord chat invite to chat about everything TPS as well as the pinball hobby, and you're going to get exclusive content like the rest of this bonus episode right here, as well as many other perks as you climb up that membership ladder from one-on-one industry arcade secrets and discussions to monthly Zoom hangouts to the coveted TPS polo. It's all here and it's waiting for you, and believe me, you're gonna want to hear it. Patreon.com/thepinballshow. That's P-A-T-R-E-O-N dot com slash the pinball show. Thanks for listening, thanks for following, and thanks for the support. Become a Pinball Show Club member right now.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 2e38f271-dd58-4260-a3dd-d907567e9a66*