Silverball Museum Arcade

What Silverball Museum Arcade does

Silverball Museum Arcade is a privately held, for-profit operator of retro pinball and arcade entertainment venues in the United States. The company runs two locations — one on the Asbury Park, New Jersey boardwalk at 1000 Ocean Avenue and a second in downtown Delray Beach, Florida at 19 NE 3rd Avenue — each housing more than 150 vintage and modern pinball and arcade machines on an all-inclusive free-play basis. The business is owned by Rob Ilvento, employs 11-50 staff, and was founded circa 2010 with the Asbury Park site, expanding to Delray Beach in 2021 and enlarging the Asbury Park venue in 2022. The format functions as an interactive museum of pinball and video game history, where guests pay for time rather than per game.\n\nThe core product is curated access to a physical library of 150+ pinball machines and arcade cabinets per location, complemented by on-site amenities including the Silverball Café and the Tilt! Bar, a merchandise line (t-shirts, hats, gift certificates), and a venue-rental offering accommodating up to 240 guests. A nonprofit fundraising program returns 50% of proceeds to participating organizations. There is no proprietary software platform or digital product; the underlying "technology" is the curation and maintenance of electromechanical and electronic game hardware, which constitutes a difficult-to-replicate inventory asset. Pricing is tiered and time-based, with admission at $17.50 per hour, $20 for a half-day, and $25 for an all-day pass.\n\nThe business model generates revenue across five streams: (1) time-based admission passes, (2) recurring VIP Memberships at $70/month for individuals and $135/month for families, (3) food and beverage sales, (4) merchandise, and (5) private events and fundraising bookings. Customer segments include walk-in leisure visitors (families, tourists, adult gamers), corporate and private event clients, and nonprofits. The company is not venture-backed, has not raised institutional capital, and does not publicly disclose revenue.

Name

Silverball Museum Arcade

Website

https://silverballmuseum.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Privately held operator of retro pinball and arcade entertainment venues in Asbury Park, NJ and Delray Beach, FL, offering all-inclusive free-play access to 150+ vintage and modern games, food and beverage, private events, and recurring VIP memberships for leisure and tourist consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arcade Entertainment

NAICS

Amusement Arcades (71312), Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Entertainment Centers & Indoor Amusement (Arcades, Trampoline Parks, Indoor Play) (THAAAAAD)

Keywords

• Retro arcade entertainment
• Pinball museum venue
• Free-play arcade
• Arcade event hosting
• Boardwalk entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Asbury Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Time-based admission passes: Revenue from selling hourly, half-day, and all-day admission passes that provide unlimited free play on all arcade games and pinball machines. No additional coin payments required.
2. VIP Memberships: Monthly subscription memberships offering unlimited all-day entry, free guest passes, and discounts on additional guests. Individual membership at $70/month, Family membership at $135/month.
3. Food and beverage: On-site cafe and bar services. Silverball Cafe offers boardwalk-inspired fare including pizza, hot dogs, pretzels, fries, chicken tenders, and beverages. Tilt! Bar at Delray location serves drinks during happy hour.
4. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, hats, and gift certificates for admission passes.
5. Private event rentals: Revenue from hosting private parties, corporate events, and weddings. Can accommodate groups up to 240 people with dedicated party areas.
6. Fundraising program: Nonprofit partners sell Silverball admission passes at face value and keep 50% of revenue. No upfront cost to nonprofits; revenue generated from card sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Silverball Museum Arcade operates two physical retro pinball and arcade venues (Asbury Park, NJ and Delray Beach, FL) where guests purchase time-based admission passes for unlimited free play on more than 150 vintage and modern pinball machines and arcade games. The venues layer on additional revenue lines including on-site food and beverage (Silverball Café, Tilt! Bar), VIP memberships, branded merchandise, private event bookings, and a nonprofit fundraising program.

Product overview

Silverball Museum Arcade operates as a two-location retro arcade chain offering free-play access to over 150 vintage and modern pinball machines and arcade games at each venue. The Asbury Park, NJ location sits on the boardwalk and features the Silverball Café for food service, while the Delray Beach, FL location includes the Tilt! Bar. Core revenue comes from time-based admission passes (One Hour, Half Day, All Day) and VIP memberships for repeat visitors. Additional revenue streams include on-site food and beverage, merchandise sales (t-shirts, hats, gift certificates), and private event hosting for groups up to 240 people. The company also operates a nonprofit fundraising program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Silverball Café: Boardwalk-inspired food service offering pizza, hot dogs, pretzels, chicken tenders, and other classic treats at the Asbury Park location.
• Tilt! Bar

Products and services

• Silverball Retro Arcade - Asbury Park Retro arcade venue located on the Asbury Park boardwalk featuring over 150 vintage and modern pinball and arcade games with free-play admission. Includes Silverball Café and dedicated private party space.
• Silverball Retro Arcade - Delray Beach Retro arcade venue in Delray Beach, Florida featuring over 150 vintage and modern pinball, video, and arcade games with free-play admission. Includes Tilt! Bar, Silverball Café, Kiss Lounge, Boat Bar Room, and multiple event spaces.
• Individual VIP Membership Monthly membership at $70 offering unlimited all-day entry for the member plus one free guest per visit, with additional guests (up to 6) at 50% off hourly/daily rates. Auto-renews monthly.
• Family VIP Membership Monthly membership at $135 offering unlimited all-day entry for the member plus four family members per visit, with additional guests (up to 6) at 50% off hourly/daily rates. Auto-renews monthly.
• Silverball Café On-site food service at the Asbury Park location offering boardwalk-inspired fare including thin crust pizza, Nathan's hot dogs, jumbo soft pretzels, funnel cakes, chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, ice cream, and non-alcoholic beverages. Online ordering available via Square.
• Tilt! Bar On-site bar at the Delray Beach location featuring Happy Hour Monday-Friday 4 PM-7 PM with 50% off all drinks and a $7 food menu.
• Party & Event Hosting Private event booking service accommodating groups up to 240 people. Options include reserving the party room or the whole arcade. Suitable for birthdays, weddings, corporate events, and fundraisers.
• Fundraiser Program Nonprofit fundraising program where organizations sell Silverball admission passes at face value and keep 50% of revenue. No upfront cost, unlimited selling time, and passes never expire.
• Silverball Branded Merchandise Official Silverball-branded merchandise including Retro Silverball Logo T-Shirts ($22), Silverball Bucket Hats, and gift certificates for admission passes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Awarded Best Arcade in Newsweek 2025 Readers' Choice Awards

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Chuck E. Cheese: National family entertainment and arcade chain anchored to children's birthday parties and family outings. Competes for similar family-and-group event demand but with a kids-skewing, mass-market proposition.
• Dave & Buster's: National chain of entertainment centers combining arcade games, food, and drinks at scale. Competes for family and group entertainment occasions, but its broader portfolio and modern game mix differ from Silverball's curated-vintage positioning.
• Main Event Entertainment: Multi-location family entertainment chain featuring arcade games, bowling, laser tag, and food. Targets similar family/group outings but at scale with broader attractions than Silverball's pinball-museum niche.

Direct peers

• Pinball Hall of Fame: Las Vegas-based nonprofit museum operating a large collection of playable vintage and modern pinball and arcade machines on free-play admission. Closest direct analog to Silverball's Asbury Park and Delray Beach venues in terms of curated pinball-museum concept and free-play admissions.
• Barcade: Multi-location (NY, NJ, PA, IL, OH, MI, MA) arcade bar chain featuring classic arcade games and craft beer. Directly competes for the same nostalgic, adult-leaning crowd with a similar vintage-arcade + bar proposition.
• Ground Kontrol: Portland-based retro arcade bar combining classic arcade and pinball machines with a full bar and food service. Operates on a single admissions/play model with craft beverage revenue, directly comparable to Silverball's boardwalk venue-plus-bar format.
• Robot City Arcade and Workshop: Independent retro arcade featuring a curated collection of vintage pinball and arcade machines on a pay-per-play/free-play format. Comparable as a small independent retro-arcade concept in the same niche Silverball occupies.
• Freeplay (Arcade Bar): Dallas-based retro arcade bar offering unlimited-play admissions on classic arcade machines with a full bar. Closely mirrors Silverball's free-play admission model in a tourist/lifestyle market.
• Reset Lounge / Video Game Bar: Houston-area retro arcade and video-game bar offering time-based admission to classic games alongside food and drinks. Comparable as a free-play retro arcade venue with integrated food and beverage.

Emerging players

• The Strong National Museum of Play: Rochester-based museum with a large interactive pinball and arcade exhibit area (including a Pinball Playfield). Comparable as a museum-style pinball/arcade experience, though it is a nonprofit museum rather than a paid commercial venue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/silverballap
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjqxT8QKqGR-xgx-t9hqL_g
• Facebookfacebook.com/SilverballMuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/silverball-museum
• Instagraminstagram.com/silverballmuseum
• TikToktiktok.com/@silverballmuseum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Silverball Museum Arcade