Abstract: There is disclosed herein a dispensing mechanism for use in gumball machines which includes coin-receiving and gumball-delivering mechanisms that permit dispensing of gumballs when the coin-receiving mechanism is operated with a coin therein, and prevent dispensing when no coin is present. These mechanisms are suitable for manufacture from plastic and the coin-receiving mechanism includes a rotatable coin-receiving element having an axially-extending, anti-reversing abutment shoulder which cooperates in preventing reverse rotation of the element. A coin slot engaging dog is also provided which engages the trailing edge of the coin slot when the coin-receiving element is rotated forwardly with no coin in the slot, thereby preventing dispensing. When a coin is in the slot, the dog is disabled and forward rotation of the coin-receiving element is permitted which permits dispensing of a gumball.