Pinball machines may teach us something about short-term rental restrictions in St. George.
“Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game” tells the true story of Roger Sharpe, who overturned New York City’s 35-year-old ban on pinball machines. In 1942, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia banned pinball, ordering Prohibition-style raids that confiscated machines and arrested owners. La Guardia associated pinball with crime and saw it as a detrimental “game of chance” accessible to children. Other cities, like Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles, followed suit.
Fast forward to 1976, in New York City Hall, where Roger Sharpe stood at a city council podium, trying to reverse the ban. He argued, “I’ve spent time with the people that have created this game. They’re not criminals. They should be celebrated. During the depths of a depression, these people created an industry from nothing. They saw an opportunity, took a chance, and built something that allowed all of us to understand that we have control over our lives. Whenever I start a game, I know that it’s going to end. But it’s the choices we make with the opportunities we are given, that’s what I love about pinball. It is messy, it is uncertain, and at times it does feel uncontrollable, but that’s what makes it worth it! The choices.”
On the heels of Independence Day, let us remember Roger Sharpe, who, armed with truth, shattered the glass-like arguments supporting the pinball ban. One individual can tip the scale in their favor if they are engaged, informed and prepared.
Freedom is messy and unpredictable, but it offers numerous choices — like the freedom to start a family-owned residential Airbnb business, or the freedom to learn from mistakes and grow as young entrepreneurs.
Are there local laws today as misguided as the New York pinball ban? The longstanding St. George residential Airbnb ban is a prime example of local tyranny. Local governments and NIMBY advocates love controlling neighbors’ property through zoning and fear-based rationalization, restricting property use.
Freedom is like a pinball machine — a vivid metaphor for the uneven playing field in short-term rentals. Residential property owners, like a pinball technique called a cradle, find themselves immobilized by city regulations. Their ball, while in play, sits pinned against the flippers, unable to move. Meanwhile, tourism winners — vacation rental firms, developers, hotel owners, real estate professionals and select residents — navigate freely, accumulating wealth and opportunity.
At its core, pinball thrives on choice and equal access. Yet, when government oversteps, favoring certain players, the game loses its essence. Government’s role is to be limited and accountable, not to rig the game in favor of a chosen few. Once players lose the ability to comprehend the rules of the game, they lose the ability to inform the government when it’s cheating.
St. George’s residential short-term rental ban begs scrutiny. Is it rooted in evidence or arbitrary bias? Freedom is indeed messy and unpredictable, but therein lies its beauty — the freedom to choose, challenge and prosper.
Ryan Schudde
St. George