Recel S. A.

Recel S.A. was a Spanish pinball manufacturer formed in the early 1970s as an export branch of Petaco S.A., a company founded in 1962 by Juan Paredes Hernández in Spain. Paredes had initially built a strong domestic market presence by manufacturing licensed Gottlieb titles for Spanish audiences and soon recognized the opportunity to distribute original Spanish-made games abroad. As a result, Recel was created to handle international sales, while Petaco primarily served the domestic market. By the late 1970s, Recel had gained global notice for its inventive designs, sturdy build quality, and the smooth transition from electromechanical to solid-state pinball machines.

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Among Recel’s most notable releases were “Poker Plus” (1978), credited with pioneering a fold-down backbox to ease transport, and “Fair Fight” (1978), which introduced a distinctive rotating target feature. These technical innovations were supported by the company’s proprietary System III electronics platform, mirroring the pinball industry’s broader shift to microprocessor-based systems. Despite commercial success, the rapid rise of video games in the early 1980s strained pinball producers worldwide. Petaco faced financial challenges and entered bankruptcy around 1983, leading Paredes to establish a successor company called Juegos Populares in 1984. When Paredes died in 1987, the ensuing closure of Juegos Populares effectively brought Recel’s lineage to an end.