SFO Hits the Jackpot!

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SFO Hits the Jackpot!
New Exhibition Features Slot Machines and Other Gambling Devices of the Mechanical Age

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s three cherries in a row for passengers traveling through SFO as a new exhibition brings vintage gambling devices to Terminal 3.  For Amusement Only: Slot Machines and Other Gambling Devices of the Mechanical Age illustrates the technological and artistic innovations of mechanical gambling machines — from the earliest devices relying on simple clock mechanisms and a payout by the bartender to automatic slot machines with elaborate carved-wood, cast-iron, or painted-aluminum bodies.

The more than 90 devices on display include slot machines, guessing banks, coin drops, poker machines and punchboards from the late 19 ^th through mid-20 ^th centuries. Machines range from the Liberty Bell (1898), the first automatic-payout, three-reel machine and the standard setter for more than a million slot machines made by other manufacturers throughout the twentieth century, to the ROL-A-TOP (1935-46), one of the most ornate and mechanically fascinating slot machines of its era.  Combined, the devices on view evoke an era of whirring drum reels, noisy coin releases and ornate designs vying for the attention of the next player willing to drop a coin and try their luck.

All objects are courtesy of Joe Welch’s San Bruno American Antique Museum.

Images from the exhibition are available at: http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/about/news/pressres/exh-slots.html.

For Amusement Only: Slot Machines and Other Gambling Devices of the Mechanical Age is located post-security in Boarding Area F, and is on view to passengers ticketed for travel through Terminal 3 until May, 2010. There is no charge to view the exhibition.

San Francisco Airport Museums

The San Francisco Airport Museums program was established by the Airport Commission in 1980 for the purposes of humanizing the Airport environment, providing visibility for the unique cultural life of San Francisco, and providing educational services for the traveling public. The Museum was granted initial accreditation from the American Association of Museums in 1999, reaccredited in 2005, and has the distinction of being the only accredited museum in an airport.  Today, the San Francisco Airport Museums features approximately twenty galleries throughout the Airport terminals displaying a rotating schedule of art, history, science, and cultural exhibitions, as well as the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, a permanent collection dedicated to the history of commercial aviation.

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About San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) offers non-stop links with more than 30 international points on 25 international carriers. The Bay Area's largest airport connects non-stop with more than 65 cities in the U.S. on 20 domestic airlines. For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit www.flysfo.com. SFO was voted “North America’s Best Airport” in 2008 by passengers for its outstanding customer service and amenities.