For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast

Nags is a unique game from Williams with two interesting features - It is one of a small handful of horse racing themed games that Williams made with a horse racing unit with six horses that can move independently along a track, until one finishes. This game is also the only game from the 'big three' manufacturers that had a rotating platter of six pop bumpers. Each bumper hit would advance one ho...

Bally bingos made after 1960 had multiple tilt states - a 'hard' state, from which the game could not be revived without additional money or credits, and a 'soft' state or 'sleeping' state that would allow the player to revive the game by pressing the 'R' button, or playing for extra balls.

A unique mechanism in later Bally bingos, the auto-mission coin divider allowed operators to automatically set aside a portion of the game earnings in a special cashbox for the bar owner.

What if the game you purchased accepted nickels from the factory, but you want to put it on route and collect quarters to match other games that you may have in various locations? You have to add extra switches or change adjustments to accept the new denomination. If you wish to just do a one-for-one coin exchange, you just change out the coin mech, but if you want to provide some extra value for...

Moon Shot is a neat game with a unique set of ball return gates (shaped like metal flipper bats) on the left and right outlanes. The layout looks like a skilled player can really rack up points easily by running up the rocket values to 500 points and collecting. Extra balls, two separate bonus steppers and cool Christian Marche artwork complete the package. http://ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=1628

In 1963, Bally was hunting around for a replacement for their bingo business in the U.S. Things were looking rather bleak, until they hired Ted Zale, the designer that would add multiball, chicane lanes, etc. to later games. For his first effort, Moon Shot, he made a 100% carbon copy of Gottlieb's Tropic Isle from the year before. I've had the pleasure of playing Tropic Isle, but I've never seen a...

Continuing last night's episode, some interesting tidbits learned while in Ohio, some games I've been working on recently, and various other things going on in my world. Follow along on the Turf King fix-up: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/1950-bally-turf-king-one-ball-horse-race-game Vote to add bingos as a separate topic of discussion on the Pinside forum: https://pinside.com/pinball/for...

I spent a few days in Ohio recently, and wanted to discuss some of the games I played and various features that I was either incorrect about in my speculation, or thought would bear in-person impressions. Had a blast losing on all these bingos!

Continental is the very last Bally bingo pinball produced. In 1980, a Belgian firm ordered the entire run be shipped overseas. This firm ended up using the designs and creating their own line of bingos - which have been produced up to this day (over several company name changes)! Note that at least some of these games were put out on location in the US - interesting! Continental is a six card bing...

Malibu Beach was the last EM bingo that Bally produced, and the final Magic Screen game. This game has exactly the same feature set as Laguna Beach (produced twenty years earlier!). Rumor has it that Nevada asked for a rerun of Laguna Beach to put in the casinos in 1980, and Bally would not agree to reproduce the earlier title. Instead, they agreed to make an entirely new title with the same featu...

Tahiti is a love/hate game - the last of the 20 hole machines that Bally produced, Tahiti brings back the ball return feature from Galaxy. Instead of returning half of the card, it will return only the balls in either section B or C. The Mystic Lines return, but this time, can be awarded in any order. You can earn only C or B and so on. The red letter game does not return, nor do extra balls. Ball...

Galaxy is a one-off bingo with a 24 hole playfield. You cannot bring the ball back to a ball return on this game. You can actually return one half of the numbers to shoot again. You can also move two columns at a time up or down one position (on this 6x4 card). This game does not have the spotted numbers features from Miss Universe (another interesting experiment), but it does have extra balls. Ga...

ROMANCE! Another holiday visit from Fake Nick Baldridge, this time with a very special guest. Miriam Cobblebottom, widow of the Nantucket Nickel company figurehead, Eustacious Cobblebottom, provides some revelatory insight into the little-known pingame manufacturer’s company history. Thanks, FNB!

Miss America Deluxe is the last of the Miss America games made by Bally. It contains all the features (extra card, magic lines that move each row of numbers one position left and right, the red letter game, corners scoring on the main card, all 4 star zones score your green 5 in a line odds, and roll overs to extend your time for the moving numbers feature) of Miss America Supreme from the year be...

High Flyer is another great six card bingo. This machine has an eight coin max. Your first six coins light the bingo cards, and coins 7 and 8 light the red diagonals (diagonal connections between odd diagonals) on each card. There are rollovers to light super lines and corners for each card, and the Double or Nothing feature returns! Backglass: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/high_flyer/resou...

The third Miss America game from Bally - typified by two bingo cards side-by-side with the ability to move numbers on each row left and right one position. Miss America Supreme adds 'Star numbers' which can be used to earn 5 in a row green odds, or start a red letter game! Corners score red 5 in a line, extra balls, and alternating rollovers return from Miss America '75. Backglass: http://bingo.cd...

Bonanza is the last of the Magic Squares games. Aside from the standard corner mounted squares, there is also a center Magic Line, allowing for some great action - necessary as there are four different colors on the bingo card, corresponding to four true independently moving odds sections. This game has no extra balls, but has an extended time tree to after 5th, corners scoring for 100 and 200 (at...

Bali is a three card bingo pinball with a few interesting features: 1) 7 coin max - the game gives you all you can get with 7 coins 2) First three coins light the three cards 3) Second three coins will light "Super Score" - doubling 4-in-line and 5-in-line wins on all three cards 4) Last coin will give you a guaranteed extra ball. Backglass (modified): http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/bali/res...

Jeffrey and Robert rejoin the show to talk about various bingos, issues with Bally's design as engineering changed the design of various units, unique or unusual features that were only used once or twice, United games, and the fun method used for us to play the games at Robert and Jeffrey's homes. I had a great time visiting Robert and Jeffrey - can't wait to talk about the games I got to try on...

Blue Chip is another great six card bingo - 25 holes, super lines, corners scoring and Double or Nothing - along with the potential to light a center spotted number with additional coins. The player can actually move the center spotted number between cards, which gives great control and the ability to turn a losing card into a winner! Backglass: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/blue_chip/resou...

Wall Street is the next in the series of six card bingo revivals that Bally produced in the 70s. Super Lines, Corners scoring, and each card has a chance at lighting the center number as a spotted number! On top of this, the Double or Nothing feature returns. A chance at 600 replays is hard to pass up. Great game, great features, great cabinet art. Backglass: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/w...

Hawaii is the follow-on to Double-Up. It contains all of the features of Double-Up, including the player controlled doubling of any one section, but brings back Stop and Shop, allowing the player to pay additional money for a chance to increase both their odds and features. This is different from previous titles with Stop and Shop, like Cypress Gardens, in that those titles would only allow you to...

Hole in One - as far as anyone has found - is only a backglass. It depicts a 6 card bingo with a few intriguing mysteries: 1) There is a golfer rating - good, excellent or superior. What is this for? 2) The replay register is masked off and only a single digit is shown. Why? 3) What happened to the rest of the game? How many were made? 4) Did this ever make it into limited production? Backglass: h...

Stock Market marks the return to 25 hole bingo production, and the return of the six card! This game has corners scoring and introduces the Double or Nothing feature. Backglass: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/stock_market/dade.html Cabinet: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/stock_market/resources/cab-stock_market-1.jpg Playfield: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/stock_market/resources...

Bonus-7 is the sister game to Super-7. You have your standard (at this point) Mystic Lines gameplay, but now, the extra game is called Bonus-7 and has similar rules to Super-7. Bonus-7 requires you to make a number combination with your first two balls that equal 7. Next, you have to get a red outlined hole, then yellow, then red. This machine also includes a sunburst feature that will automatical...