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The term "punchboard" (or
in some cases "punch board", "push board", "punchcard",
or "push card") refers to a gambling device popular
in the United States from roughly 1900 until 1970.
Punchboards were particularly popular
during the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's. Although they
are illegal to operate in many states, you can still
find punchboards being played today in some areas of
the country, particularly as fund-raisers for clubs
and organizations. Punchboards are also beginning to
gain popularity in countries outside the United States.
A punchboard generally consists of
a square piece of wood or cardboard in which hundreds
or thousands of holes have been drilled, and filled
with slips of rolled or folded paper. Each slip of paper
has a number or combination of symbols printed on it.
The holes are covered with a foil or paper seal, which
protects the corresponding slips. Punchboards usually
have a chart listing the combinations of numbers or
symbols that are considered winners, along with the
prizes or cash amounts that will be awarded to the winners.
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Typical board construction is of laminated
cardboard built up to a thickness of 5/8 to 1 inch with a
series of holes drilled thru the board to accommodate the
folded up set of paper slips. Some Punchboards use a separate
payout card with jackpot seals or a separate payout board.
Here's how the game works: A player pays
the punchboard's operator a set amount of money (usually a
nickel, dime or quarter) for a chance to use a metal stylus
(or "punch") to break the seal on the hole of his choice,
and "punch" one of the slips of paper out of the board. If
the number or symbols found on the slip of paper matches one
of the pre-determined winning combinations, the player is
awarded the corresponding prize.
Punchboards normally feature cash prizes,
although they have also been used to advertise everything
from shoe polish to Coca-Cola.
What is a
Punchboard is from: www.punchboard.com.
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Products > What is a Punch Board?
