The Biggest Arcade in The World Scores The Biggest Zoltar Machine

Summary

The Lucky Snake Arcade in Atlantic City, New Jersey, now houses the largest Zoltar machine and is considered the largest arcade in the world.

Abstract

The Lucky Snake Arcade, located in the Showboat Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, has added the largest Zoltar machine to its collection of over 600 arcade games. This makes it the largest arcade in the world, with a 200,000-square-foot venue that includes a 40,000-square-foot Go-Kart track. The arcade offers a variety of games, including bowling, pinball, virtual reality games, and classic arcade games like Ms. Pacman, air hockey, and skeeball. The addition of Zoltar, which stands at 11 feet tall and can tell fortunes for $2, has brought attention to the arcade and its history. However, it is important to note that some of the fortunetelling characters falling under the Zoltar name are problematic and can spread racist and Islamophobic stereotypes.

Bullet points

The Lucky Snake Arcade in Atlantic City, New Jersey, has added the largest Zoltar machine to its collection of over 600 arcade games.
The arcade is now considered the largest in the world, with a 200,000-square-foot venue that includes a 40,000-square-foot Go-Kart track.
The arcade offers a variety of games, including bowling, pinball, virtual reality games, and classic arcade games like Ms. Pacman, air hockey, and skeeball.
Zoltar stands at 11 feet tall and can tell fortunes for $2.
Some of the fortunetelling characters falling under the Zoltar name are problematic and can spread racist and Islamophobic stereotypes.
The Lucky Snake Arcade is located in the Showboat Resort, which also houses the world's largest indoor beachfront waterpark, the ISLAND.

This summer commemorates the 35th anniversary of the movie Big

What if when you were 12 you made a wish to be all grown up and it actually happened? That’s the premise of the hilarious 1988 film Big directed by Penny Marshall and starring Tom Hanks acting as a 12 year old in a 30 year old man’s body.

If you are younger than GenXers/elder Millenials, you may not be familiar with Big. Hanks did a phenomenal job in this role. Penny Marshall’s goal with Big: “was all about everybody regaining their innocence.”

In the 1960s, a popular fortunetelling arcade game, Zoltan, debuted. A couple of decades later, the movie Big enhanced the popularity of the arcade and fortunetelling game Zoltar.

“The iconic fortune-telling machine was one of the very first arcade games ever created and was made even more famous by the award-winning movie “Big” featuring Tom Hanks.”

— Press Release

They’ve stationed Zoltar, which looms at 11 feet tall in the lobby before you enter the arcade. It resides at the Showboat Resort (a hotel) which houses the Lucky Snake Arcade in Atlantic City, New Jersey. For $2 you can get your fortune told and a fun photo opportunity.

Zoltan, Zoltar’s “evil stepbrother” is also housed at Showboat. There’s quite a bit of history surrounding this game beyond the movie Big.

Some (all?) of the fortunetelling characters falling under the Zoltar name are problematic. For example, Zoltar can spread the racist concept of Orientalism, Islamophobia, and general misunderstandings about the Middle East. To learn more about the specific issue, see how some in Idaho are suggesting tackling the problem.

One of the main points made is historical context is imperative when displaying these machines. The entrenched racism inherent in such toys must be discussed, confronted, and addressed.

Big was a vehicle for Tom Hanks’ career takeoff and a huge pop culture hit. This places it firmly in the canon of movie history circa 1988.

Zoltar is currently owned by Characters Unlimited Inc. Current Zoltar fortune tellers.

The addition of Zoltar makes the Lucky Snake the largest arcade in the world with a 200,000-square-foot venue including a 40,000-square-foot Go-Kart track. With over 600 arcade games, it’s now considered the largest arcade in the world. There’s a mix of fun for everyone, including bowling, pinball, virtual reality games, and of course, arcade games. Also included are air hockey and skeeball: music to my ears.

Next door, is the world’s largest indoor beachfront waterpark, the ISLAND.

I’ve never been to New Jersey, but now I know where I’d be tempted to go, as a 1980s kid who loved arcades — Tilt at Sooner Fashion Mall was mine and I wore the buttons down on Ms. Pacman. Pinball and Skeeball were other fan favorites. And air hockey. And, and, and…

Congratulations to The Showboat, The Lucky Snake, and The Island Waterpark. 2023 has been a big summer.

Aimée Brown Gramblin is the founder of Age of Empathy. She became a memoirist in her younger years and is writing them out now in middle age. A regular contributor to The Memoirist, Aimée is a late-blooming pop-culture enthusiast; she’s a contributor to FanFare and The Riff. With a minor in art history, she occasionally publishes art-centric nonfiction.

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