Vintage Gambling Machines at SFO, Terminal 3

Josh Ellingson
January 5, 2010

If you’ve lost your shirt to TSA and are betting it all on a last-minute standby, why not wander over to Terminal 3 for some true gambling history. San Francisco International Airport is currently hosting, “For Amusement Only: Slot Machines and Other Gambling Devices of the Mechanical Age”. Vintage gambling devices of all make and marvel are on display through May 2010. The machines are behind glass so hold on to your buffalo nickels.

While killing time before an early morning flight, I snapped a few photos of show. The exhibit space stretches along a corridor with a moving walkway. It’s mesmerizing to stare at these things while people seem to float by in the background.

There are more photos in my Flickr set.

The objects are on loan from Joe Welch’s San Bruno American Antique Museum.

Here is the orginal press release.

photos by Josh Ellingson

Josh Ellingson

Josh Ellingson lives and works as an illustrator in San Francisco, California. In 1999, Ellingson graduated art school and headed west. Since then, Josh has contributed artwork to popular publications and websites worldwide and worked with clients ranging from toy makers to tequila companies.
In addition to his illustration and design business, Josh Ellingson is the director for The Local 303, a studio/collective of illustrators and designers in San Francisco, California. The Local 303 provides a professional working environment as well as a space for collaboration, critique and art exhibition. Josh Ellingson also contributes editorial writing and reviews to Hi-Fructose, a contemporary art and culture magazine.