# NICKELRAMA **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2018-03-24 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2018/03/24/nickelrama-1 --- ## Analysis Pinball News visits NickelRama #1, a pay-to-enter arcade in Garland, Texas (near Dallas) that operates on a nickel-based coin system. The venue features 12 recent pinball machines from Stern and Jersey Jack, alongside modern arcade and redemption games, with pinball costing 20¢ per game after a $3.50 entry fee. The article documents the venue's business model, game selection, and condition during a pre-Texas Pinball Festival 2018 scouting visit. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] NickelRama #1 has a dozen of the latest titles from Stern Pinball and Jersey Jack Pinball — _Direct observation and documentation by Pinball News during March 2018 visit; machines listed by title and tier_ - [HIGH] Pinball games cost four nickels per game (20¢) after paying $3.50 entry fee — _Explicit statement of pricing model and calculation: 'A cup with $5-worth of nickels gets you 25 games of pinball'_ - [HIGH] NickelRama has two locations, both in Garland, Texas — _Explicit statement: 'NickelRama actually has two locations. This is the original one and it's located in Garland, Texas. The newer second location is also in Garland'_ - [HIGH] Machines were in very good condition with only stuck balls or jammed coin mechanisms encountered — _Direct observation: 'The condition of the machines seemed very good with the only problems we encountered being either stuck balls or jammed coin mechanisms'_ - [HIGH] Redemption games were very popular with children during the visit — _Observation: 'Redemption games seemed to be very popular, with dozens of kids wandering around holding armfuls of tickets'_ ### Notable Quotes > "At 20¢ per game after the initial entry fee, it's a pretty cheap way to enjoy all the latest machines from Stern and JJP." > — **Pinball News (author)**, End of article > _Summarizes the value proposition of the venue for pinball players_ > "NickelRama #1 is located on Beltline Road in Garland, which is about fifteen miles northeast of Dallas." > — **Pinball News (author)**, Location section > _Geographic context for Dallas-area pinball community_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | NickelRama | organization | Pay-to-enter arcade with two locations in Garland, TX; features pinballs, arcade games, and redemption machines; operates on nickel-based coin system | | NickelRama #1 | product | Original NickelRama location at 1238 Beltline Rd, Garland, TX; features 12 pinballs from Stern and JJP | | Stern Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; has multiple machines in operation at NickelRama #1 | | Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; has machines in operation at NickelRama #1 | | Texas Pinball Festival 2018 | event | Pinball tournament/festival that prompted Pinball News scouting visit to Dallas-area locations | | Guardians of the Galaxy | game | Stern Pro pinball machine at NickelRama #1 | | The Hobbit | game | Standard tier pinball machine at NickelRama #1 | | The Wizard of Oz | game | ECLE (Elite/Collector Limited Edition equivalent) pinball at NickelRama #1 | | Ghostbusters | game | Stern Pro pinball machine at NickelRama #1 | | Game of Thrones | game | Stern Pro pinball machine at NickelRama #1 | | Dialed In! | game | Standard tier pinball machine at NickelRama #1 | | Star Wars | game | Stern Pro pinball machine at NickelRama #1 | | Batman 66 | game | Premium tier pinball machine at NickelRama #1 | | Spider-Man | game | Vault Edition pinball machine at NickelRama #1 | | The Walking Dead | game | Stern Pro pinball machine at NickelRama #1 | | Mustang | game | Stern Pro pinball machine at NickelRama #1 | | Star Trek | game | Stern Pro pinball machine at NickelRama #1 | | Pinball News | organization | Publication visiting and documenting pinball locations | ### Topics - **Primary:** Commercial pinball venue operations, Location-based pinball pricing models, Stern and Jersey Jack game distribution - **Secondary:** Texas Pinball Festival 2018 preparation, Arcade redemption game popularity, Machine maintenance and condition - **Mentioned:** Garland, Texas pinball market ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.82) — Article is promotional and favorable toward the venue. Praises game selection, machine condition, pricing, and staff responsiveness. No criticism or negative observations. Concludes with explicit recommendation. ### Signals - **[community_signal]** NickelRama #1 operates as a significant commercial pinball venue in Dallas area with recent Stern and JJP inventory, indicating demand and operator confidence in location-based pinball market (confidence: high) — 12 recent machines from major manufacturers in good operational condition; pre-visit timing aligns with Texas Pinball Festival suggesting venue attracts pinball traffic - **[market_signal]** Stern and Jersey Jack titles are being rapidly placed into commercial locations (as of March 2018), suggesting healthy distribution pipeline to operators (confidence: high) — Recent titles including Guardians of the Galaxy, Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Mustang all present in single venue within weeks/months of likely release --- ## Transcript Date: March 2018 Location: 1238 Beltline Rd. Garland, TX 75040, USA In the days immediately prior to the start of the Texas Pinball Festival 2018 we visited a number of pinball locations in the greater Dallas area, starting with NickelRama. ![NickelRama 1 in Garland, Texas](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/nickelrama-1/15-nickelrama-1.jpg) NickelRama #1 in Garland, Texas It’s a little confusing because NickelRama actually has two locations.  This is the original one and it’s located in Garland, Texas.  The newer second location is also in Garland, so we can’t even refer to this branch as “the Garland one”.  Instead, we’ll call this NickelRama #1. ![Nickelrama #1 in Garland, Texas](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/nickelrama-1/14-nickelrama-1.jpg) NickelRama #1 in Garland, Texas The NickelRama arcade concept is a mix of pay-to-enter and pay-to-play.  Entry to the arcade costs $3.50 per person, regardless of age.  You can get a slightly better group rate or a pre-paid party rate of $59.95 for up to 25 guests along with a row of tables and chairs to use. However you get in, the games are then paid for using nickels (5¢ coins).  That’s not to say the games are all priced at 5¢ or even priced the same though, because different games use a different numbers of nickels.  The pinballs, for example, cost four nickels per game (20¢), which is pretty cheap if you can play enough games to recover the initial entry fee. You aren’t expected to bring dozens and dozens of nickels with you though, since cups of 100 nickels are available from the entry desk at face value of $5 each.  You can’t ‘cash-in’ any you might have left over when you leave, but of course they are just regular coins and so usable in most locations. Inside the décor is clean but minimalist.  The walls are plain, as is the floor.  The lighting is slightly dim but neither dingy nor obtrusive.  The overall look is of a regular retail unit packed full of arcade games. So, what about the games on offer? ![Games at Nickelrama #1](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/nickelrama-1/09-nickelrama-1.jpg) Games at NickelRama #1 NickelRama has an impressive selection of new machines – both big sit-down arcade games and redemption-style ones – to appeal to all ages. ![Driving games](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/nickelrama-1/11-nickelrama-1.jpg) Driving games ![Kids games](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/nickelrama-1/13-nickelrama-1.jpg) Kids games ![Fruit Ninja and Jurassic Park](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/nickelrama-1/05-nickelrama-1.jpg) Fruit Ninja and Jurassic Park ![Giant Space Invaders and Pac-Man](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/nickelrama-1/10-nickelrama-1.jpg) Giant Space Invaders and Pac-Man priced at $0.30 per game Redemption games seemed to be very popular, with dozens of kids wandering around holding armfuls of tickets trying to earn enough for their desired prize. ![Redemption skill games](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/nickelrama-1/07-nickelrama-1.jpg) Redemption skill games ![More popular titles](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/nickelrama-1/03-nickelrama-1.jpg) More popular titles ![The ever-popular redemption counter](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/nickelrama-1/06-nickelrama-1.jpg) The ever-popular redemption counter Thankfully, NickelRama has a decent pinball selection too. ![Mixed in with the arcade games are the pinballs](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/nickelrama-1/04-nickelrama-1.jpg) Mixed in with the arcade games are the pinballs In fact, NickelRama #1 has a dozen of the latest titles from Stern Pinball and Jersey Jack Pinball. ![The first row of six pinball machines](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/nickelrama-1/01-nickelrama-1.jpg) The first row of six pinball machines The first row contains: Guardians of the Galaxy Pro The Hobbit standard The Wizard of Oz ECLE Ghostbusters Pro Game of Thrones Pro Dialed In! standard Backing onto these are another six recent titles – all pro (or equivalent) models. ![The remaining six pinballs](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/nickelrama-1/02-nickelrama-1.jpg) The remaining six pinballs The second row contains: Star Wars pro Batman 66 premium Spider-Man vault edition The Walking Dead pro Mustang pro Star Trek pro The condition of the machines seemed very good with the only problems we encountered being either stuck balls or jammed coin mechanisms.  Either way, it didn’t take long for a technician to come over and rectify the fault. A cup with $5-worth of nickels gets you 25 games of pinball, along with any replays you might win along the way.  So we spent some of our coins playing other games, including the Typhoon motion simulator and some of the coin pushers. We still had a good number of nickels left over, so we kept them for our next location – NickelRama #2, which we will feature in our next review. NickelRama #1 is located on Beltline Road in Garland, which is about fifteen miles northeast of Dallas.  Food and soft drinks can be brought in from outside, but no alcohol.  If you intend to do this though you also need to plan in advance, as you can’t leave, purchase food and then re-enter without paying for entry again. NickelRama #1 is open 1pm-9pm Monday-Thursday, 1pm-11pm on Friday, 9am-11pm on Saturday and 11am-0pm on Sunday, but these times are often extended during school breaks so it is best to check their website to be sure. We’d certainly recommend visiting NickelRama for some great pinball at an attractive price.  At 20¢ per game after the initial entry fee, it’s a pretty cheap way to enjoy all the latest machines from Stern and JJP. _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: bfc8b5fe-bb41-4c6a-87b3-de593550bf52*