Payazzo

Among RAY’s most traditional slot machines, Payazzo is a game of skill. Players use their skill to flick a coin into the right chute.

Payazzo demo and instructions (in Finnish).

Pajatso

Payazzo has become part of Finland’s national identity, and can be played in around 1 100 pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops and service stations. It is still the best known of RAY’s slot machines and games, and more than 1.2 million people in Finland say that they play Payazzo.

Payazzo arrived in Finland in the mid 1920s from Germany. In the early models the idea of the game was somewhat different from today’s Payazzo, but by the end of the 1920s the basics of the game were more or less the same as today.

RAY was established in 1938 and was granted an exclusive right to operate slot machines in Finland. RAY acquired the Payazzo machines that were already in use and soon started to manufacture its own machines. In later decades Payazzo has remained largely unchanged, except for the stakes and winnings.

In 1958 a new model was introduced for playing with 20 Mark coins, and following the currency reform of 1963 it was played with 20 Penni coins. From 1967 Payazzo was played with 50 Penni coins, and around ten years later with 1 Mark coins. The first electronic Payazzo machines were introduced in 1982. In the mid 1990s the electro-mechanical Payazzo was introduced. In this model the coin feed and chutes – the most important components from the player’s point of view – are similar to those found in the traditional versions, but the payout and other functions use electronics for improved reliability.

The arrival of the euro brought a new challenge for Finland’s national gaming tradition. Now played with a 20 cent coin, the latest Payazzo machines are proudly preserving the tradition established by their predecessors: they provide excitement and entertainment, and at the same time collect funds for good causes.