It's hard for me to get into the headspace of what an EM bingo parlor might have been like, with so little documentation of them having survived over the years. Payout pin games started in the 1930s and massive one-ball horse race games ruled the 1940s. Anti-gambling legislation led to an industry crisis that was solved by the innovation of bingo pinball in the 1950s. Innovation that would pay off for a decade or so until it was once again rapped by further legislation.
Staggeringly heavy machines with a dense matrix of possible rules and features. Colourful artwork of whimsical day-to-day themes. The lure of possibility of physically lining up 5 numbers for a giant payoff. Bingos are a wondrous coin-op marvel in a field filled with marvels.
Contemporary gambling machines are a sad disappointment compared to these electromechanical wonders. What a disappointment to have such aesthetic interaction excised from an industry that leaves people staring at LCD screens instead. The actual successor of this kind of innovation would be the modern redemption arcade industry, as at least some of those machines involve the illusion of skill and the aesthetics of physical interaction. But with no real payouts beyond a few garbage prizes, there aren't any real stakes, and in modern redemption machines you're mostly paying for spectacle.
But for a brief period in history, gambling was both enchanting and physical. Skillful nudging and a wise plunge could greatly tilt the scales in your favour. For a brief period in history, the mighty bingos ruled.
Staggeringly heavy machines with a dense matrix of possible rules and features. Colourful artwork of whimsical day-to-day themes. The lure of possibility of physically lining up 5 numbers for a giant payoff. Bingos are a wondrous coin-op marvel in a field filled with marvels.
Contemporary gambling machines are a sad disappointment compared to these electromechanical wonders. What a disappointment to have such aesthetic interaction excised from an industry that leaves people staring at LCD screens instead. The actual successor of this kind of innovation would be the modern redemption arcade industry, as at least some of those machines involve the illusion of skill and the aesthetics of physical interaction. But with no real payouts beyond a few garbage prizes, there aren't any real stakes, and in modern redemption machines you're mostly paying for spectacle.
But for a brief period in history, gambling was both enchanting and physical. Skillful nudging and a wise plunge could greatly tilt the scales in your favour. For a brief period in history, the mighty bingos ruled.
Niche Collection 002: pindude152's bingos
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| Bally Sea Island (1959) & Bally Key West (1956) Most bingos have 25 holes |
the basics
who: pindude152 (website)
where: Canada
what: American bingo machines. Complicated electromechanical coin operated devices.
when: "pinball machines since 2000, bingo machines specifically since 2013"
how many: "I kinda lost count. I have 14 bingo machine titles, some I have doubles. The whole collection? 57+"
why: "[I like] their complexity, the challenge of repairing them, and their seedy history. All those old black+white photos of law men destroying bingo machines."
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| Bally Carnival Queen (1958) |
I first heard of bingo machines shortly after I started collecting EM pinball machines, when someone, don't remember who, mentioning that they were the most complicated coin operated devices ever designed.
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| Bally Golden Gate (1962) |
The history of the Bingo machine is interlinked with the history of the flipper pinball machine. Pinball would not be as we know it today if it weren't for the bingo machine.
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| Bally Miss Universe (1975) |
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Bally Miss Universe (1975)
Only 18 holes!
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In the US, Bally produced bingos from 1951 until 1980. New bingo machines are still being produced in Europe.
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| Bally Mystic Gate (1975) Only 20 holes |
What inspired you to acquire many of them?
Having a representative sample of the different features bingo machines. Every machine is a new repair challenge.
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| Bally Sea Island (1959) |
What do you tell people about these machines when they walk up to them and have never played them before?
I explain that the machine doesn't have flippers, despite the fact it's physically similar to a pinball machine, because it's a type of gambling machine that used to be popular.
If at that point the person doesn't walk away from the machine disappointed, I start explaining in-line scoring (or section scoring), odds, features, multiple coin play.
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| Bally Show Time (1957) |
Advice if someone reading this wanted to get into these machines?
Repairing bingo machines is not for the faint-hearted.
You need an expert level comprehension of bygone electromechanical technology.
You need to know how to read schematics.
You need to know how to troubleshoot, which is a skill in itself.
You need basic understanding of mechanics.
Spare parts availability is an issue. Worn out parts, are difficult to source.
They are extremely heavy.
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| United Singapore (1954) |
What are you top 5 favourite features/gimmicks on a machine?
1. Magic screens that go all the way to H
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| Sea Island has 8 Magic Screen positions |
2. Two in blue scores green 5
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| Carnival Queen can give a chance at a huge green payout if you have this lit and get 2 balls in the blue section |
3. Super cards
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| Each of Surf Club's Super Cards has to be activated separately. |
4. Hold / Double feature
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| This Surf Club feature let's you re-play your odd or even balls |
5. Moving numbers
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| Show Time's moving numbers can revolve in their 5 sections, if lit |
Have you ever been to a location where you can play machines like this for legit money?
No, they are illegal to operate in most areas being gambling machines.
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| Bally Surf Club (1954) |
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| Bally Super Wall Street (a conversion kit of 1974's Bali) |
What are the best parts and worst parts of working on these machines?
Best part is bringing back to life machines that haven't played in 30, 40 or more years.
Worst part is, bingo machine repair being so extremely niche hobby, even within the pinball collecting community, other collectors to talk shop are few and far between.
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| Bally Venice (1968) |
Internals of a Bally Venice
With a collection of gambling machines and an afternoon off, how do you enjoy spending time with them?
Honestly, I'm more into bingo collecting and repair than actually playing bingos. I rarely play them. I'd rather work on a machine anytime.
When I do take the time to play, I usually turn on all the games in the gameroom for a festive lighting effect, put on a LP, and chuck some balls. Sometimes I try to aim ;-) Sometimes there's beer or wine involved as well.
I try to keep in mind the relative value of the coins played for the era of the bingo.Considering inflation, a roll of nickels in 1957 has the equivalent value of around 18 dollars today.So I count my coins when I'm coining up a game. I usually play only one roll per session and rarely play for extra balls (unless it's really worth the risk). Then I try to get the replay counter up to 200 because according to bingo lore that was the minimum to cash out.
Bingo resources
Have a machine to sell?
Standard boilerplate for everyone that arrives here via searches: If you have any of these kinds of machines and want more info on yours and/or want to sell them, please email me at thetastates@gmail.com and I'll see if I can help you. No matter where you are in the world, chances are there's a community of people I can get you in touch with.
Have a collection to showcase?
If you a niche collection that might be appropriate here, please email me at thetastates@gmail.com
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