Author: Mr. Russ Jensen

Early in 1951, United Manufacturing Company came out with one of these new types of games. It was called ABC and consisted of a circular playfield sloping toward the center with 25 holes (numbered 1 to 25) around the outside of the circle. Located at the center was a pop bumper which would repel any balls back toward the holes until each ball finally landed in a bole. A pinball plunger was used to launch each ball onto the playfield.

The backglass had three "bingo cards" labeled A, 8, and C), each with a different 5-by-5 array of numbers 1 through 25. The player could deposit 1 to 3 coins at the start of each game. The first coin "bought" the A card, the second coin the B, and the third the C. The player would then shoot five balls each eventually landing in one of the 25 playfield holes, lighting the corresponding five numbers on the backglass bingo cards. If the player succeeded in lighting 3, 4, or 5 numbers in a line (vertical, horizontal, or on the main diagona) on a card which he had "bought," he would be awarded a designated number of replays, depending on whether he had attained three, four or five in line.

(Historical note: In 1938, Stoner came out with a game called ZETA which had a similar playfield with only 10 numbered holes and an "exploding spring" type pop bumper in the center. Each hole would light 2 of the 10 numbers. Lighting all 10 numbers would give replays. This was possibly the first use of a pop bumper, since the use of that type of bumper on pinballs did not became common until the late forties.)

Within a month after the introduction of ABC by United, Bally came out with BRIGHT LIGHTS. This game had 25 holes and a standard size pinball playfield, six bingo cards on the backglass, and one to six coins could be deposited per game.

The use of pinball-type playfields became the standard for these "in-line" pingames. Bally and United were the major manufacturers of these games, with a few being made by Keeney. Williams even made one machine of this type, LONG BEACH,1952. They also made a few flipper games in the same period which incorporated a bingo card as an additional way to win replays, supplementing the usual high score awards typical of "flippers."

Another early "in-line" machine was FIVE STAR by Universal Industries. That outfit was actually a subsidiary of United that previously produced console slots and one-balls. FIVE STAR had an almost square playfield and five 3-by-3 cards on the backglass. There was a star in the center position of each card, surrounded by eight (out of a possible 11) numbers. One to five coins could be inserted, each "buying" an additional card for play.

The playfield bad 12 holes numbered 1 through 11, and one labeled with a "star". Balls dropping into the numbered holes lit the corresponding number, and getting a ball into the "star" hole lit the star in the center of each card. Players lighting one or more lines on any card which was "active" (due to insertion of the proper number of coins) would receive replays based on which type of lines were completed on the card (vertical, horizontal, diagonal, the 'T' or the 'X'), the latter paying 200 replays. FIVE STAR was a very novel game and bore many similarities to the many bingos" that followed, especially the "6 card" games.

ADVANCING ODDS AGAIN!

Late in 1951, Bally came out with SPOT LITE, which was an in-line pinball with variable replay payoffs (or odds). Instead of depositing additional coins to"buy" extra cards, the player would deposit coins to increase the number of replays received for the winning in-line combinations - sets of lighted numbers the backglass would indicate the number of replays awarded for lighting 3 in Line, 4 in line, or 5 in line on the bingo card. The first coin deposited gave the lowest odds. Additional coins could cause higher odds to light up. Once the odds were increased, they could not go back to a lower value - referred to by the manufacturers as "guaranteed advancing odds." This is, of course, the same feature introduced into one balls a few years earlier.

In addition to advancing the odds, depositing additional coins could qualify the player for other "game advantages," such as allowing the numbers in the four corners of the card to score, lighting ("spotting") free numbers on the card, or giving the player one or two extra balls to play. This latter feature became standard on most in-line machines, with most of them giving the player a chance to be awarded up to three extra balls.

The implementation of these "extra coin advantages" required some rather sophisticated electro-mechanical technology to allow the advantages to be produced on a fairly random basis. Much of this technology having already been developed for one-balls made the design job much easier. This, coupled with the mechanization of the "search" function required to detect winning 3, 4, 5 in-line combinations, meant that in-line games contained the most sophisticated circuitry to be found in pinball machines.

Probably the most innovative concept used in the design of these games (actually it was originally developed for the later model one-ball horserace games),was that of "reflex play". Simply stated this means that the more coins a player deposits without winning replays, the easier it becomes to win. Conversely, the more a player wins, the harder it then becomes to win more replays. This is a feature of these games that makes one think the machine has "a mind of its own."

During the period between 1951 and 1956 many different in-line games were made primarily by Bally and United. Each machine had slightly different "special features" but were similar in basic design.

TURNING CORNERS

The scoring of all of these games had one thing in common, only one 3 in line, one 4 in line, and one 5 in line combination could be scored in any one game. Then, in 1956, games began to appear which featured 3 color ed lines on the bingo card (usually red, yellow, and green). Separate "odds" indications were provided for each color, enabling 3, 4, or 5 in line scoring on all three colored lines independently. Thus a player had the possibility of scoring 3, 4, or 5 in line on any or all colors in any one game.

Also in 1956 another innovative feature was introduced - "turning corners." The four sets of four numbers in the corners of the bingo card each had the capability of being rotated at a certain point in the game (when that feature was enabled by depositing additional coins) by pressing buttons located on the front rail of the game. This allowed lit numbers in these areas of the card to be used to form a winning in-line combination on more than one line of the card. Some games featured "moving lines" in which all five numbers in a given line could be "rotated" from left to right or vice versa.

SCREEN GAMES.

The next advance in bingo pinballs came out in late 1958 with the introduction by Bally of CARNIVAL QUEEN. This game featured one "bingo card" in the center of the backboard with a set of moveable overlays (referred to as "Magic Screens") each displaying different patterns of winning combinations of the 25 numbers on the card. When the first coin was deposited the "basic" screen appearing showed colored lines indicating 3 color in-line scoring as in previous games.

As additional coins were inserted the player could receive the right to cause additional screens to be moved in front of the card, each indicating different scoring combinations of the numbers on the card. There were seven or eight possible screens called "A," "B," "C," etc., with lighted panels on the backglass being lit in sequence (at mystery intervals) with the insertion of extra coins. The player could then, during the course of game, cause the screens corresponding to the lit letters to be moved in front of the card.

This could result in a lit combination of numbers on the card scoring replays on one of the extra screens which might not be a "winner" on the basic screen.

These extra screens contained colored "Scoring Sections" rather than in-line scoring as on the basic screen. In order to score the player had to light 2 or more numbers in one of these sections. It normally took 3 or more numbers in any section to score, however, depositing additional coins could qualify a player for the so-called "Super Sections" in which 2 numbers scored as 3, 3 as 4, and 4 numbers as 5.

Another papular feature of these games was "Push Buttons AFTER 5th Ball." If depositing extra coins caused that panel to light on the backglass, the player could push buttons to move the screens alter 5 balls had been s hot. (Normally you could change screens only BEFORE the 4th ball was shot). This allowed players to collect a score on one screen and another for a different pattern on another screen, as long as they were for different colored lines or sections (or a better scoring combination for the same color). Incidently, this same feature appeared earlier on the "turning corners" games mentioned previously.

One of the all-time favorite features of bingo players of the "screen," and later the "OK" bingos, was the "Blue Section." The Blue Section was the smallest colored section on the screen and only covered 3 numbers. As extra coins were deposited the feature "3 in Blue Section Scores 300" could light. And finally, if you were really lucky, and deposited enough coins, you would be rewarded with "2 in Blue Section Scores 600." By this time the player would have a sizeable investment in the game and the anxious cry of "Two in the Blue!" would always bring silence in the establishment while patrons stopped what they were doing to see if the player would make his "2 in the Blue."

IT'S O.K.

Around 1960 a feature was introduced which became one of the most popular innovations with bingo players. The "OK feature," as it was called, gave the player the possibility of doing something during one game that could influence the next game (a "future" effect). Other examples of "future effects," which were used much earlier on many one-balls, were the "A-B-C-D" and "Spell Name" features mentioned earlier.

Depositing of additional coins could cause a panel labeled "OK" to be lit on the backglass. If this occurred the player could cause a special "OK Screen" to be moved in front of the bingo card, in addition to any of the other screens (A, 8, C, etc.) for which he had qualified. This "OK Screen" had a special five-number orange-colored section referred to as the "OK Section." If two or more of those five numbers were lit during play (and the "OK Screen" was enabled and selected by the player) an "OK Game" was awarded.

The OK game meant that the next game was free with certain guaranteed minimum odds and features. These were determined by which of the letters in the name of the game on the backglass were Lit RED in the game during which the OK game was awarded. Depositing extra coins at the beginning of that game caused the "red letter" in the game name to advance at mystery intervals (actually, the red letter was a function of the green line odds, although this was not generally known to the player). The minimum odds and features at the start of the OK game, corresponding to each possible red letter, were indicated on a card at the bottom of the playfield. The player could, of course, deposit additional coins at the start of the OK game to try to advance their odds and features even further.

LATER BINGOS.

Another major change in "bingo pinballs" occurred in 1965 with the introduction of 20 hole machines. The traditional 25 hole playfield was changed to 20 holes with the numbers on the bingo card being changed to a 20 number array. These "20 hole Bingos" generally had colored sections on their cards (similar to those on the special screens on the "Screen Games") rather than straight in-line Scoring.

Another form of bingo pinball, which was prevalent in the 1960's and 1970's, was the "6 Card Bingo." The main difference between these and other bingos was the fact that they had no changing odds, i.e. there were only three fixed scores, one for each of the three winning combinations (3-in-line, 4-in-line, and 5-in-line). In these machines each of the first 6 coins deposited would enable an additional bingo card for scoring. If more than 6 coins were inserted the extra coins would each enable another special feature (up to a fixed maximum of coins). In each case the player knew in advance exactly what the depositing of the next coin would do (no "mystery intervals" as in other bingos and one-balls). This "no chance" idea in multiple coin play enabled these machines to be legal in some jurisdictions where other bingos were outlawed due to their "chance" features.

 

 

Notes on the above photo collage:
The Bally's County Fair was one of the 1st "OK" games, the 20-hole playing field shown is a Bally's Mystic Gate pin, and Bally's 1972's Ticker Tape machine I believe was the 2nd six-card game released...........

............I would love to post a picture of a Zeta if someone would be so kind as to share, I would really appreciate it...............
 

Page Last Updated On 12/02/2002