Looffs Lite-A-Line

Fun and different. Very relaxed atmosphere and super friendly staff. Arcade style fun for any adult.

Sooooo cool! This place is like a gambling hall meets bingo meets an arcade which has all been placed in a museum! They have some awesome artifacts from the long beach pike that I couldn’t get enough of. When I walked in that’s what first caught my eye. I looked at everything this place had before I decided to sit down and play. And as soon as I sat at a table someone working here came up to greet me. I can’t remember his name (I think it might have been Chris) but he was very very cool. He explained the game to me and actually let me practice as much as I wanted. I was the one that said «ok I think I’m ready to play on my own.» I think this place is super cool and it takes you back in time 50 years without even trying. I have been beach a handful of times since my first visit. I recommend this place to anyone that wants to try their luck winning money at a pinball machine.

This is one of those gems that I’ve been searching for. A casual place to hang out on a weekend that’s a break from the everyweekend norm.
The staff are super friendly in helping you explain the game and gives you practice games until you’re comfortable trying. Shout outs to Linda and Angela for being so helpful :)
The fact you’re sorta gambling makes this a bit more interesting as you could win some decent dough from this.
I’d probably be hanging out here more often if it was closer to Irvine.

So let me lay the scene out. Its a hot summer day. 25 people spread across 60+ machines. The music is set to «go to sleep» now. The workers are none existent. Mr. Dj is gone. Only to magically appear when i provided my own music. THERE IS NOT SIGN ANYWHERE IN THE ESTABLISHMENT PROHIBITING PERSONAL SPEAKERS. I informed the Dj that alternating genres would be nice. Right now hes to busy conversating to do anything. Including his announcements prior to games.

My new favorite place in LA. Come with some friends and $ 20 and have a good time. There are winners every minute and we win at least once every time we go.

This place is purely to have fun. It’s not necessarily somewhere you go to gamble. I had a lot of fun trying to win. The game is literally a mix of pinball and bingo. It was my first time there. The ladies spent some time explaining the game to me. They were very nice and extremely helpful. They let you do a few practice games to learn how to play. Sine it was my first time there, they set me up with a players game and 4 free games. I would highly recommend this place to anyone in the are!

A secret in Long Beach, one of the last gems left… take a friend and a $ 21 and you can have a good time while trying to be the winner… Great staff, dicey patrons (think ‘downtown Vegas’) … definitely a Must Try:)

A real unique place. This place seems like it would have the degeneracy of a Casino in Hawaiian Gardens or one of those places that claims to be a «lucky» lotoo center. Strangely enough it doesn’t the people sitting down seem pretty normal.
Looks like an old school video arcade with a historic twist. Now This place claims to house a game of «skill.» Honestly. I don’t know now much skill can be developed. Its kinda like a plinko meets pinball mix.
Whats really cool about this place is it’s history. It traces its lineage back to Coney Island and has its roots in LB for over 100 years. To me that is pretty rad.
I believe this is the only place left of its kind in The US.
They also treat you to a whole bunch of free games and if you haven’t been there in a while they will mail you some vouchers for more free games.
A totally cool and unique piece of nostalgic Americana in the LBC.

Your space ship has landed and you’ve gone back in time to 1965… or earlier. To a time and place where things still had style, and where everything is made out of glistening white plastic and chrome and the world is bathed in eerie green light. Welcome to Loof’s-Lite-A-Line and a trippy place to spend your Saturday night. Loof’s is both squeaky clean and unsettling all at the same time – everyone else there besides you will be a hard-​core lite-​a-​line addict from some of Long Beach’s more «interesting» parts of society but there’s no booze, no cussing, and most importantly, no pounding on the machines when you lose – there’s a sign that says so, and the reigning game monitor for your row will tell you calmly you owe them $ 50 bucks if you break the game table’s glass. Oddly, this truly is a game of skill – you sit there trying to shoot the perfect ball, sweating bullets as everyone else around you tries to beat you at doing the same thing – all for the going pot of $ 15. Each game costs $ 1 – or one of the establishments giant silver tokens (reminiscent of a subway token hit by radiation) and for some reason, though I would never play $ 1 a game on a slot machine in Vegas (I’m cheap AND unlucky) this game feels low risk – and people actually win so that $ 15 you just blew on a series of games might be coming back your way again soon. Most importantly, at first, you’ll be the only person here who doesn’t have a clue how to play the game. Luckily, though other users will keep their beady eyes on you and size up your ability to win, everyone present is pretty happy to help you learn how to play, game monitors and customers alike. You might sit down next to a tough looking hood, but he’s going to be really nice and tell you the secrets to actually playing like a pro. Like, you should wait for the buzzer to go off (’cause that’s when the game actually starts) to shoot your first ball and that you need to watch out for the other players. You’re going to sit there wondering why you’re playing some kind of Bingo that is straight out of a vintage sci-​fi flick – it’s almost as if Plinko and Bingo hooked up and had a Pinball love child, but the anatomical and biological logistics of this are still a mystery to me. Basically, it’s pretty impossible to score at all – the ball always shoots agonizingly slowly out of the gate and how fast you shoot depends on if you even get the ball close to the numbers or not. Sometimes the ball just jumps over the hole it’s supposed to go into and then you just have to be SOL while some other Lite-​A-​Line protégé snags your lunch money. Good thing newbies get a coupon for four free games to practice. Good thing that guy at the little window is there at all to explain everything to you. Loof’s is a sacred place… it makes you want to lower your voice reverently over the howls of disappointment and yelling at the televisions when you first come in. Pretty soon, you’ll even be thinking that you could spend a couple hours here, make friends here, stomach the instant coffee that comes out of the vending machine. The words «hynoptic», «dangerous», and «bizarre» will be the only descriptors for this place that you can remember when you’re finally able to tear yourself away. You will be tempted to write a winner’s manual on playing the game. As promised by The Mighty Boosh, «[you’ll be] going on a journey through time and space!» HAVE FUN – may the force of Loof’s be with you.

Looff’s has been around for a long time although from what I understand they have only been at their current location for a few years. The place seems like it has a crazy history and you can tell by just walking in. There are several rows of machines but along the entrance wall, there is a glass case with all kinds of memorabilia. Out front there is a phone booth up by the parking garage that is «out of order». The parking garage is small and you’re lucky if you can find parking here at night. I recommend driving around and finding street parking out back. They are very particular here about their rules. Don’t break them and you will be fine. For instance, no bikes inside! Stop bringing your bikes in because they will keep announcing this over the intercom until you take your bike outside!
Your first time you will need to provide an ID to the cashier at the window in the corner. She takes down your info and gives you free games every time you come in. After your first time, you will receive a post card in the mail with free game offers. Then pick out your favorite machines and get playing!
The game itself is a cross between Bingo and Pinball. sort of like Plinko. The games are $ 1 each except for the higher priced games they run a couple times an hour which have higher payouts. You win $ 15 if you are the only winner of a game (it goes down if there are more winners). Hand your card to the operator in your row and they will give you markers to mark how many free games you have left. They also will give you practice games that don’t count if you win on your first visit. Some of the machines don’t light up all the spots but don’t worry, just remember which ones you hit and the machine knows if you fill up a line.
This place is fun to come with friends and hang out for a couple of hours. There are a lot of regulars here who really kill the game on some nights. There are certain days and times when there are more and games are tougher to win. They run a lot of specials and freebies when there are holidays and when it rains to draw in more people. You can see their promos by following their Facebook page.

I love this place a lot because the first two times that I went I was a winner. I think you can’t get mad if you put up a $ 1 and try to win $ 15 and lose at least you tried. Remember you have to be in it to win it.

Drove by a couple times & was curious, so one day after champagne brunch I decided to give it a try. I guess this place was around before gambling became illegal in our neck of the woods, so it’s still legal to gamble there? I don’t know how that works.
Lite-​A-​Line is a game of chance, kinda like Plinko, kinda like Bingo. You just have to try it. 5 free games for first-​timers and $ 1/​game after that. If you win, you get $ 15. It’s pretty addicting, so I guess go here if you have a couple hours to kill.
klp

What happens when you combine half the skill of pinball, the low-​stakes gambling odds of penny slot machines, and the pure adrenaline rush of Bingo? You get what is one of the most bizarre gambling experiences in the history of bizarre things. And it turns out, one of the most entertaining ones to do with bad hangover.
A few things I can assure: You likely won’t leave here with more cash than you walked in with, but you won’t get cleaned out either. It takes what feels like an hour to lose $ 20.
It attracts a pretty random crowd, and it was pretty randomly crowded. Looff’s version of Superman stands watch over the top of a telephone booth outside. The only service is vending machines, and if you can tear yourself away from the gambling they have Donkey Kong and Ms. Pac Man.

I’ve lived in long beach for over 3 years but had never heard of this place. Being that nothing pleases me more than a cheap thrill, I knew I had to stop by. Thanks Unilocal!
Its definitely an experience! The games, the location, the place itself, the «regulars»…Its probably one of the few places you can still enjoy yourself even after hearing «Sir please put your shirt back on» over the PA system, and «fooool, dont forget you owe me train money yo!». That said, I probably wouldn’t take advantage of the fact that they are open until 2am on weekends, in fact I’d try to hit it as early or close to opening as possible.
The game itself, as others have described is like bingo meets plinko meets pinball that you play surrounded by the «People of Walmart» (
) Its called a game skill, though unless your willing to give up a few teeth or get some sort of neck tattoo and become a regular, you’ll probably just have to rely on good ol’fashioned luck. The staff here is super friendly, they will explain the game to you, and give you four free games, just to make sure you get hooked. A game regularly costs $ 1 and your playing for a $ 15 pot. The games move really fast so its easy to drop quite a few more dollars than you expected, I fear many a government check and/​or payday loan has been lost here.
If you decide you need to get your gamble on and that Looffs is the place to do it, make sure to come with a good group of friends because the more the merrier, and because being surrounded by friends makes it easier to play without worrying about the man who cant keep his shirt on sitting next you. Also, pack your own cleverly disguised cocktails because its vending machines only.

One of the downsides to traveling so much is that by the time I get around to writing reviews about cool places in my own city some people that I took to said places have already written their own reviews and said all the awesome things I was going to say. (Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Q, I’m looking at you.)
Anyway, I randomly found Looffs one Saturday afternoon while searching Unilocal for casinos. For the record this is definitely not a casino. More like a bingo parlor actually. I showed it to Sir Nicholas and we made it a priority to get there stat.
When you go for your first time they give you five free games for the price of one. After winning on two of these I was a happy lady so we continued to play for hours where Nick and I won a total of 4 more times. What do you win you ask? Well, it’s a $ 15 pot that is split by all winners so if you’re the only one you get $ 15. I did see 3 people win at once though so that was $ 5 each.
Normally, it costs a buck a game and the games last a couple of minutes. It’s just like everyone says — a cross between pinball, plinko, and bingo. You have a metal ball that you shoot like in pinball. It goes up on to a board and falls through numbers and colors like a plinko board. Then the corresponding number and color lights up on your board — if you get a line horizontally, vertically, or diagonally you win like bingo. Also like bingo the middle number and color (red 3) is a freebie so it’s always lit.
No alcohol is a downer here, other grape and orange sodas are nice. And the regulars get rowdy if you win a lot so be careful!

It is a classic, indeed. A classic that i just discovered, and discovered from Tiffany C who has been a LB local for just a few months. …and of course LB Legend, Holly T was the first to review it.
Once upon a time I celebrated Easter by donning a ruffly Easter dress, going to church, and coming home to Easter baskets. My how times have changed. …well, unless you count Loofs as my church. And, sure, why not? I got dressed up, I gave a donation, and had grape soda instead of wine.
All you need to know about Loofs is that it combines three of my favorite things on the planet: kitschiness, pinball, and gambling. Yep, I’m that simple. You pay a buck per game and then try to get a bingo by shooting a pinball sorta thing that goes through a Plinko sorta thing, and if you get a bingo before anyone else in Loofs — you win $ 15! Just like that.
Trust me, it sounds far more complicated than it is. Be warned though — if you get too good at this game, the regulars will not be happy. I mean, Hello! You’re totally stealing their win. Unlike other gambling I’m used to, there’s no booze or cigarette smoke wafting through the air at Loofs, but, I promise you this — a good time will be had.

In the midst of The Drunkenest Easter Ever™ (think Easter egg jello shots and mimosas and micheladas galore), talk somehow turned to Vegas. For some reason, whenever drinks start a-​flowin’, Mrs. Q and our friends always seem to start jonesin’ for some gambling action. Vegas being a good 3 ½ hours away, and us being a good 3 ½ sheets to the wind, it seemed we were dreaming the impossible dream.
What about local Indian casinos? Not local enough, unless we wanted to pay for a $ 100 cab ride. And Hawaiian Gardens Casino? Uh, none of us had ever risen back from the dead, and we weren’t ready to try and find out. But on this day of miracles, someone suggested that we go to Looff’s Lite-​a-​Line instead.
«Loose lie-​the-​lie?»
«No, Looff’s Lite-​a-​Line.»
«Juice jai alai?»
«No, no, Looff’s Lite-​a-​line.»
«Nudes buy a line?»
«Dammit, LOOFFS. LITE. A. LINE.»
«What the hell is that?»
Well apparently Looff’s Lite-​a-​Line is a place of wonder and enchantment. It’s a gambling parlor, and also the only game therein: it sort of combines pinball, plinko, and bingo, and has been around for over a century in Long Beach. It’s sad, though unsurprising, that this piece of the city’s history is now relegated to some dingy strip mall. (It was originally part of the original Long Beach Pike amusement park.)
Still, walking into Looff’s today is like stepping into a time machine. The lights, the buzzers, the tokens… it really is like being in an old-​timey midway. And the fact that you can actually win money playing what’s essentially a carnival game is downright weird. (It normally costs $ 1 per game to win a $ 15 pot.) True to gambling form, we spent more money than we ever actually won, but almost all of us got to experience the thrill of winning a game.
Cheap thrills? Perhaps, but it was thrilling nonetheless, and a fantastic way to spend a drunken Easter evening. Just make sure to bring your own, ahem, adult refreshments, because the only drinks and snacks available are via the vending machine (and who knows what era those snacks are from).

Won again! Broke Even from the previous two times I was here.

I went to Looff’s for the first time, and I had always been curious about what was actually in that building. I GIVE IT 5 STARS!!! Maybe I’m biased because I won 3 games within a half-​hour, but I really had a blast at Looff’s Lite-​A-​Line. (Or as my boyfriend calls it… «Looff’s Lime Light»…haha!) I think I just had beginner’s luck!
Like the other Unilocalers have mentioned, it’s the type of place you just have to go and experience to fully understand it. It truly is a game that’s a cross of pinball, Plinko, and Bingo all rolled into one. I would have to disagree with it’s motto, «A game of skill», because I don’t think you can really control the ball and where it lands. The lady next to me said for me to hold the machine and lean, which will make the ball follow my sway, but I don’t know if that was «sound» advice.
The employees were very helpful. Upon entering, one of the workers approached us and asked if we were there for the first time. When we responded, «Yes,» she proceeded to give us a summary of the game. She then walked us over to the window to check in and get a pass for 4 free games to play. I’m glad we went at 11:30am when they first opened, because they had practice games until 12 noon, so we got to see first how to play.
Another of the employees explained the cost of the games and the «free» games that would be offered after the first game and at 12:30pm. She was very attentive and personable. When I won my first game, I gave her a dollar tip. The lady sitting next to me (who goes every day) said that I could tip if I wanted to, and she suggested a dollar because that’s what she usually gives to the nearby employee if she wins.
I loved my time there, and I want to go back again soon! Maybe I’ll see you there. LOL! Go check it out sometime! I’m glad I did.

Please.
Just go here.
You’re better off not knowing what it is.
Just go.
Experience the Looff.
PS… For fun… for more fun history of Long Beach… look up Charles I.D. Looff and The Pike.