# CHICAGO AREA PINBALL 2019

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2019-10-10  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2019/10/10/chicago-area-pinball

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## Analysis

Dan Marquardt's 2019 guide to Chicago-area pinball locations published on Pinball News before Pinball Expo. The article documents the resurgence of location-based pinball play in the Chicago area due to the barcade trend, detailing 20 venues with their current machine lineups, organized geographically for convenience. Notable locations include Logan Arcade, Galloping Ghost Pinball, and various barcades featuring recent Stern titles alongside classic machines.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Williams stopped making pinball machines twenty years ago (around 1999) — _Direct statement by Dan Marquardt in the introduction_
- [HIGH] Location-based pinball play had declined significantly after Williams ceased manufacturing but has resurged due to the barcade trend — _Marquardt's personal observation: 'It was bleak for finding a working pin on location for many years but now, due mostly to the popularity of barcades, pinball machines on location are plentiful in the Chicago area.'_
- [HIGH] Logan Arcade features recent Stern pins, classic pins, and both American Pinball titles (Houdini and Oktoberfest) — _Direct venue update as of October 2019_
- [HIGH] Lucky Strike Social has seven clean recent Stern pins set on five balls per play — _Venue description with specific configuration detail_
- [HIGH] Round-1 in Aurora had four recent Stern pins, all unplayable during August 2019 visit — _Marquardt's direct observation with timestamp_

### Notable Quotes

> "It was twenty years ago Williams stopped making pinball machines. At that time I thought the days of playing pins on location were over for ever."
> — **Dan Marquardt**, Introduction
> _Sets historical context for the pinball location industry's decline and frames the article's narrative around recovery_

> "It was bleak for finding a working pin on location for many years but now, due mostly to the popularity of barcades, pinball machines on location are plentiful in the Chicago area."
> — **Dan Marquardt**, Introduction
> _Key observation about the barcade trend's role in revitalizing location pinball_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Logan Arcade | location | Chicago-based arcade venue featuring recent Stern pins, classic pins, and American Pinball titles (Houdini, Oktoberfest) |
| Galloping Ghost Pinball | location | Pinball arcade in Brookfield, Illinois |
| Emporium Arcade Bar | location | Arcade bar chain with locations in Logan Square, Wicker Park, and Fulton Market in Chicago area |
| Lucky Strike Social | location | Chicago venue with seven clean recent Stern pins configured for five balls per play |
| Replay Beer & Bourbon | location | Chicago area venue with ten pinball machines including Stern Star Wars (Pro) |
| Uptown Arcade | location | Chicago arcade venue |
| Headquarters Beercade | location | Beercade in River North, Chicago |
| Bottom Lounge | location | Chicago venue featuring pinball machines |
| Brixies | location | Brookfield venue with five super-clean top pins: Iron Maiden (Premium), Jurassic Park (Pro), Medieval Madness, Monster Bash, Star Wars (Premium) |
| Brauer House | location | Lombard venue with five clean pins: The Beatles, Funhouse, Iron Maiden Premium, Metallica Pro, Scared Stiff |
| Prince Arcades | location | Bolingbrook venue with six well-maintained pins from multiple manufacturers |
| Rock Island Public House | location | Blue Island venue with nine well-maintained pins including Batman 66 LE (Stern) |
| Round-1 | location | Aurora location at Fox Valley Mall with four recent Stern pins (noted as unplayable in August 2019) |
| Dan Marquardt | person | Correspondent for Pinball News; author of annual Chicago-area pinball venue guides |
| Stern | company | Pinball machine manufacturer; represents majority of modern machines at Chicago-area locations |
| American Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer with Houdini and Oktoberfest machines at Logan Arcade |
| Williams | company | Historic pinball manufacturer that ceased production approximately 20 years prior to this 2019 article |
| Chicago Pinball Expo | event | Annual pinball show referenced as the impetus for this venue guide publication |
| Pinball Map | organization | Community-maintained website for locating pinball machines |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Location-based pinball venues and recovery, Barcade trend and its impact on pinball accessibility, Chicago-area pinball machine distribution
- **Secondary:** Recent Stern pinball releases and deployment, American Pinball manufacturer and game titles, Pinball industry history and recovery narrative, Machine maintenance and playability at locations

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.75) — The article expresses optimism about the resurgence of location-based pinball play due to barcades. Marquardt maintains a neutral, informational tone while documenting venues, though he notes maintenance issues at Round-1 (all machines unplayable in August). Overall framing is celebratory of the recovery from the bleak Williams post-production era.

### Signals

- **[market_signal]** Barcade trend has successfully revitalized location-based pinball play in Chicago area after decades of decline following Williams manufacturing cessation (confidence: high) — Marquardt's direct observation: 'It was bleak for finding a working pin on location for many years but now, due mostly to the popularity of barcades, pinball machines on location are plentiful in the Chicago area.'
- **[product_strategy]** Recent Stern titles are the dominant new machines across Chicago-area locations, with American Pinball machines starting to appear at premium venues (confidence: high) — Multiple venue descriptions mention 'many recent Stern pins' and American Pinball titles at Logan Arcade; Stern Star Wars variants found at multiple locations
- **[product_concern]** Maintenance issues noted at Round-1 Aurora location where all four recent Stern pins were unplayable during August 2019 visit (confidence: high) — Marquardt's direct observation: 'All four were unplayable when I visited there in August.'

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## Transcript

Editor’s note:
Every year, just before Pinball Expo, our correspondent Dan Marquardt brings us his selection of the best places in the Chicago area to play the silver ball. This year is no different, so anyone visiting the Windy City for the world’s biggest pinball show who finds themselves in need of even more of a pinball fix might like to check out his recommendations below.
Dan has made a change this year, ordering them so you can go from one location to the next closest, making it easier to find locations which are close to each other.

It was twenty years ago Williams stopped making pinball machines. At that time I thought the days of playing pins on location were over for ever. It was bleak for finding a working pin on location for many years but now, due mostly to the popularity of barcades, pinball machines on location are plentiful in the Chicago area.

Thanks to Pinball Map for allowing me to use their awesome website to update some of the locations on my list.

| |
| --- |
| 1. Logan Arcade – Chicago See previous report Update: Many recent Stern pins, classic pins, and now the two pins from American Pinball (Houdini and Oktoberfest) are there too. |

![Some of the games at Logan Arcade](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2019/08-chicago-2019.jpg)

Some of the games at Logan Arcade
(picture: October 2019)

![Machines at Emporium Arcade Bar (Logan Square)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2019/09-chicago-2019.jpg)

Machines at Emporium Arcade Bar (Logan Square)
(picture: October 2019)

![The two games at Lemming's Tavern](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2019/10-chicago-2019.jpg)

The two games at Lemming’s Tavern
(picture: October 2019)

![Emporium Arcade Bar (Wicker Park)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2018/02-chicago-2018.jpg)

A previous line-up at Emporium Arcade Bar (Wicker Park)

| |
| --- |
| Seven very clean recent Stern pins all set on five balls per play. |

![The seven games at Lucky Strike Social](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2019/11-chicago-2019.jpg)

The seven games at Lucky Strike Social
(picture: October 2019)

![Games at Replay Beer & Bourbon](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/replay-beer-and-bourbon/8.jpg)

A previous line-up at Replay Beer & Bourbon

| |
| --- |
| They now have ten pins including a Stern Star Wars (Pro). |

![Games at the Uptown Arcade](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2019/12-chicago-2019.jpg)

Games at the Uptown Arcade
(picture: October 2019)

![Some of the games at Headquarters Beercade (River North)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2019/13-chicago-2019.jpg)

Some of the games at Headquarters Beercade (River North)
(picture: October 2019)

![Replay in Lincoln Park](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2017/02-chicago-roundup-2017.jpg)

A previous line-up at Replay in Lincoln Park

![A previous line-up at Emporium (Fulton Market)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2019/07-chicago-2019.jpg)

A previous line-up at Emporium (Fulton Market)

![Bottom Lounge in Chicago](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2017/05-chicago-roundup-2017.jpg)

A previous line-up at Bottom Lounge in Chicago

| |
| --- |
| 12. Brixies – Brookfield See previous report Update: An awesome wall of five super-clean top pins. Iron Maiden (Premium), Jurassic Park (Pro), Medieval Madnes s, Monster Bash and Star Wars (Premium) are the current titles. |

![The pins at Brixies](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2018/04-chicago-2018.jpg)

A previous line-up at Brixies

![Galloping Ghost Pinball in Brookfield](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2019/02-chicago-2019.jpg)

Galloping Ghost Pinball in Brookfield

![The Game Show in Lombard](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2019/03-chicago-2019.jpg)

The Game Show in Lombard

| |
| --- |
| 15. Brauer House – Lombard Five very clean pins: The Beatles (Stern), Funhouse (Williams), Iron Maiden Premium (Stern), Metallica Pro (Stern) and Scared Stiff (Bally). |

![The five pinballs at Brauer House](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2019/05-chicago-2019.jpg)

An earlier line-up at Brauer House

![Chicago pinball sites](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2016/17.jpg)

A previous line-up at Pac-Man Entertainment

![The pinballs were busy](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/gameworks-schaumburg/12-gameworks-schaumburg.jpg)

A previous line-up at Game Works

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| --- |
| 18. Round-1 – Aurora Four recent Stern pins. All four were unplayable when I visited there in August. |

![Round-1 in Aurora](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2019/04-chicago-2019.jpg)

Round-1 in Aurora

| |
| --- |
| 19. Prince Arcades – Bolingbrook Six well maintained pins: Austin Powers (Stern), Black Rose (Bally), Comet (Williams), F-14 Tomcat (Williams), Monster Bash (Chicago Gaming) and Total Nuclear Annihilation (Spooky). |

![Two of the pinballs at Prince Arcade](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2019/06-chicago-2019.jpg)

Two of the pinballs at Prince Arcades

| |
| --- |
| 20. Rock Island Public House – Blue Island See previous report Update: The wall of well-maintained pins has increased to nine, with Batman 66 LE (Stern) being the latest addition. |

![A nice variety of fun pins available to play](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/rock-island-public-house/02-rock-island-public-house.jpg)

A previous line-up at Rock Island Public House

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 86f59cf1-1db8-44a1-91e1-f9b3df661dee*