Each event brings hundreds of serious pinball players from around the world to compete for a number of large cash prizes.
The World Pinball Championships run for four days and allow competitors to register in different divisions which accommodate beginners and skilled players alike.
In September 2004, shortly after PAPA 7, the remnants of Hurricane Ivan flooded the tournament area, ruining more than 200 games.
In November 2020, the Replay Foundation announced that it is discontinuing its events and use of the PAPA brand indefinitely, due to the pandemic.
At the end of the qualifying period (typically several days), the top-ranked players in each division (the actual number varies) compete in a head-to-head, bracketed format to determine the winners.
In 2015 a D division was added, specifically targeting very new players who had only played a limited amount of competitive pinball.
Typically, this means that the rules will avoid giving random awards, so that scores reflect mostly skill and not luck.