Jersey Jack Pinball, Inc. is an American pinball machine manufacturing company that was established in 2011. The first table released by the company, The Wizard of Oz, appeared in 2013.[1]
History
Jersey Jack Pinball was founded in January 2011 by industry veteran Jack Guarnieri. Starting in 1975, he serviced electromechanical pinball tables for a living, and he created the website PinballSales.com in 1999. Guarnieri hired designer Joe Balcer and programmer Keith Johnson to work on the first machines.[2]
In 2013, the company released its first pinball machine, The Wizard of Oz. They spent $2 million in startup and development and sold the machines for $7,000 each.[3] Guarnieri's goal was to produce a high-quality pinball machine regardless of cost, and attract a larger female pinball audience than other manufacturers.[2][3]The Wizard of Oz's release caught the attention of Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, who reached out to the company about collaborating on a pinball machine.[4]
Jersey Jack's machines have been used in donations by Project Pinball Charity in 2015, 2016, and 2019.[5]
In 2020, Jersey Jack relocated their manufacturing operations from their original location in Lakewood, New Jersey to Elk Grove Village, Illinois where their design team was already based.[6] The first machine produced at its new location was Guns N' Roses.[4] As of 2023 the company had over 100 employees.[7]
In September, 2024, the company announced that their next machine would be adapted from the Avatar franchise.[8]
Game development
Jersey Jack games have introduced several notable features over the years, including LCD screens, LED lighting, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, and camera integration.[9]The Wizard of Oz featured a 26-inch LCD monitor in the backglass.[10]Dialed In! featured a camera integrated into the game's backbox to facilitate selfie photography and Bluetooth capability.[11][12]
