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Although Vic is starting his own pages he is still
out there sharing and seems to be everywhere!
The IPDB is a good example; Vic has posted a lot
of great photos out there!
“Other than the flyers, Vic has sent me everything
below in the last few days”
Thxs Vic!!!!
Vic Camp’s…..LIFE TIME
BINGO STORY:
Hi Danny,
Here is my story and connection
to the reasons I love the bingos and how I became totally addicted to them, plus
what they mean to me today. Please feel free to add this to my Vic Camp page
on your awesome bingo pinball machine website.
I started playing flipper games in 1963 at the age of 7 and stopped by the
age of 13 in 1969 after seeing and playing for a first time a six card bingo
pinball machine called (Bally) Lite a Line (manufactured in 1961) which I
stumbled on by accident in the back room of Ting a Ling's hot dog place
located in Newark, New Jersey on Bloomfield Ave across from Branch Brook
park. There were other places in the Northward Italian section of Newark, New
Jersey in the late 1960's that had six card Lite a Line bingos like the Blue
Castle on Park ave near Hootens chocolate factory , Blue Shutter Cafe, Roses
candy store which became Rat Mikes (in the late 1970's early 1980's), JJ's
Billiards hall on Mt Prospect ave and Bloomfield ave and two other small soda
fountain shops which were located on First ave & No.10th st and the other
on Bloomfield ave next to the 322 bar/club.
Finding out that store owners and vendors would give you cash on the spot for
your replays on bingo games made me not want to put another dime in a flipper
game again. The first real lure to wanting to play the bingos was the fact
that you could win 100's of replays with one dime. Rat Mike's was the best
location for me because it was walking distance from my house on Lake
St in Newark,
NJ. Rat Mike's store was so big
Mike was able to have four or five bingos in the place at one time which in
turn meant most times you didn't have wait that long to play your rolls of
coins. Ting a Ling also housed two or three at a time and I have memories of
playing there for many years, plus Sonny the owner of Ting a Ling made the
best Italian lemon ice in the state and the hot dogs were the greatest when
his father was still alive. I could write a book on all the colorful bingo
player characters and people affiliate with these so popular games back then
in the 60's, 70's and 80's.
In Newark, NJ in the 1960's I only remember there being six card games called
Lite a Line which were at many different locations through out the big city
until of course in the 1970's when Bally made all those other great six card
twenty five cents games packed with lots of new additional features. Here are
all 20 six card bingos Bally produced starting with the first bingo ever made
by Bally called Bright Lights in(1951), Frolic's(1952), Bright Spot (1952),
Fun Way (1959), Lotta Fun (1959), Barrel of Fun (1961), Lite a Line (1961),
Barrel-0-Fun 61(1961), Barrel-0- Fun 62 (1962), Shoot a Line (1962),Hole in
One(1971), and Stock Market(1971),Ticker Tape(1972), Wall Street(1974), Blue
Chip(1975), Bull Market(1976), High Flyer(1977), Nashville(1978) and
Dixieland(1979).
I do remember seeing and playing a Bally Dude Ranch on the boardwalk in
Seaside Hts, NJ in the Royal arcade back around 1967 for a nickle a game and
a Bally Key West in the boardwalk Fasination Place back in the late 1980's.
These two bingos were the only other bingos besides Lite a Line that I knew
of in New Jersey
until I started collecting
bingos in the the early 1990's.
Playing six card bingos in stead of the other types of bingo games Bally was
manufacturing at the time like the one card games, magic screen games or
turning corners games, etc, would make you a better bingo player faster
because the six card games started and end much quicker than the other types
of multi coin bingos. Most of the six card bingos were max coin limits ( 6, 8
or 11 coin max) in stead of the multi coin other type bingos like the (one
card, magic screen, turning corners,etc) games. So by playing more complete
games at a quicker pace this would give a player more chances at playing a
game and in return more play time making the player become a better player
faster.
I have had the pleasure of
having many bingo pinball machines in my collection but as time went on I
have let many go to new homes where they can be enjoyed by other bingo
players. Here is a list of bingos that are now gone from my collection.
Bright Lights/Nashville/Golden Gate/Bikini/Night Club/Miss Universe/Bally
Beauty/Miss Bowling Turbo(digital)/Sea Island/Ticker Tape/Stock Market and
the list goes on. At the present time in my collection are Lite a
Line/Dixieland/New Continental Golden(digital)/Variety/Gayety and Coney
Island. This year 2006 I am working on a project to bring all my
bingos out of the basement game room and upstairs into the new renovated
attached garage Bingos only game
room. I didn’t think I would like the idea that much when I first thought of
doing this new garage game room which since I have painted and installed heat & air conditioning it just
fine now. I actually like have the bingos in their separate room . I closing
I would like to say the the thing I miss most about the bingos is playing
them on location when I was very young and getting that thrilling rush making
a numbered hole for a very large payout. I can remember never not feeling
this blood tingling feeling rushing through my veins every time I would make a large pay out in line win. I
must have spent a small portion of my youth stuck on some bingo pinball
machines side rails trying to beat them for their replays.
The only thing you can say is exactly what I wrote
back to Vic; “You Rock!”
  
  
  
  
  
  
Keep em coming Vic!
Hi Danny,
Here is some information on Ballys six card bingo pinball
machine games. Hope you can use this for your website under Vic Camp's page.
Thanks for being interested.
In Newark, NJ in the 1960's I only remember there being six
card bingo games called Lite a Line which were at many different locations
through out the big city until of course in the 1970's when Bally made all
those other great six card twenty five cents bingo games packed with lots of
new additional features. Here are all the six card bingos Bally produced
starting with the first bingo ever made by Bally called Bright Lights
in(1951), Frolic's(1952), Bright Spot (1952), Fun Way (1959), Lotta Fun
(1959), Barrel of Fun (1961), Lite a Line (1961), Barrel-0-Fun 61 (1961),
Barrel-0- Fun 62 (1962), Shoot a Line (1962),Hole in One (1971), and Stock
Market (1971),Ticker Tape (1972), Wall Street (1974), Blue Chip(1975), Bull
Market (1976), High Flyer (1977), Nashville (1978) and Dixieland (1979).
Playing
six card bingos instead of the other types of bingo games Bally was
manufacturing at the time like the one card games, magic screen games or
turning corners games, etc which i never knew even existed took sometime to
play one game because of having to drop in lots of coins to build up a big
featured game to play. The six card games would make you a better bingo
player faster because the six card games started and end much quicker than
the other types of multi coin bingos. Most of the six card bingos had max
coin limits (6, 8 or 11 coin max) instead of the multi coin other type bingos
like the (one card, magic screen, turning corners, etc) games. So by playing
more complete games at a quicker pace this would give a player more chances
at playing a game and in return more playing time making the player become a
better player faster.
By
1971 Bally had finally made Stock Market another six card bingo since its
last manufactured six card game Lite a Line 10 years earlier in 1961. The
only thing was Stock Market turned out to be a quarter a play (per one card)
which seemed like quite a leap in cash for a poor 15 year old boy from the
streets of Newark, NJ, but it turn out OK because you would get a quarter
back for each replay when you wanted to cash in your winnings. In the
beginning we would just play 3 cards at a time unless that day we had some
extra money to go all six cards which was the max coin limit for Stock
Market. Stock Market features were different and much more attractive to us
players then the Lite a Line, especially the new DOUBLE OR NOTHING feature
and the 4 CORNERS feature. Bally also changed the pay out on each card a
little to adjust for the now twenty five cents per game or card instead of
the ten cent per game or card on the Lite a Lines.
This
new generation of six cards games to follow Stock Market in the 1970's was
going to be a phenomenal break through for Bally because of all the added
features they would introduce to the six card players who loved these fast
action, quick playing and loaded with winning number combinations throughout
the entire six cards made for an even greater attraction and addiction to the
true bingo players of that time.
The
following year in January 1972 Bally manufactured its next six card bingo
called Ticker Tape and I just love that bingo when it came out on the vendor
routes. Ticker Tape brought back the YELLOW SUPER LINES feature that all the
Lite a Lines always had and we six card bingo players were always swayed by
it being the only feature Lite a Line offered(of course there was always the
center spot number but who knew all the vendors disconnected it). What I
never knew until I bought and owned my Lite a Line in my collection was that
all the vendors had disconnected that great feature called the "center
spot number" which would light up and spot the player the center number
on any of the six cards at random. Like the saying goes what you don't know
won't hurt you.
Anyway
the Lite a Lines were being taken off the routes around the city and being
replaced by the now quarter a game six card games like Ticker Tape. Having
the YELLOW SUPER LINE back with the DOUBLE or NOTHING feature plus the 4
CORNER feature was fantastic to us six card bingo players, but the best was
yet to come for the six card bingo games. Bally didn't make another six card
game until Feb, 1974 with Wall Street. By then all the Lite a Lines that were
still out there were now a quarter and really all the bingo players wanted to
play the newer six card games anyway.
In
Sept, 1975 Bally manufactured Blue Chip which they brought back that CENTER
SPOT number feature which the vendors always disconnected in the Lite a Lines
which we never knew about so it was a new feature to see for us six card
players in 1975. Bally manufactured Bull Market in March of 1976 to add to
the run of six card bingos being made by them. In April 1977 i turned 21 and
had been playing bingos for 8 years now(everyday) and Bally took a giant leap
again with the manufacturing of the next six card game to hit the streets
called High Flyer. This time Bally changed the original six card bingo game
format design and the standard way bingo is played in (bingo halls) with the
addition of another new feature to the six card games called the "RED
DIAGONALS" thus making the game now a 8 coin max limit instead of the
old 6 coin max limit on bingos like Ticker Tape, etc. This RED DIAGONALS
feature was awesome to us six card players because it open up many more new
number combinations for the player to shoot for in line wins on all six
cards.
The
following year in Aug of 1978 Bally manufactured their next six card bingo to
be manufactured called Nashville and increased once again the max coin limit
up to a 10 coin max limit from the previous 8 coin max limit on High Flyer
the year before. Bally introduced another intriguing feature called the
"MAGIC NUMBER" and once again lured us six card player into
dropping the two additional quarters into the game for the now new 10 coin
max limit. The "MAGIC NUMBER" feature was a awesome feature to us
six card players because if magic number was made when lit the during the
game the Magic Number feature would automatically double your replay wins on
all of the game features that were lit. This six card bingo Nashville really
made for some very large pay outs for just dropping in 10 quarters at the
start of the game. That’s right for just dropping in 10 quarters you could
win 1200 replays in a single 5 ball game with each replay worth a quarter.
This made us six card players insane and much more addictive to wanting to
play 10 quarters every time at the start of a new game.
What
we six card bingo players didn't know was Bally next game to be manufactured
called Dixieland was going to be the best ever EM six card bingo Bally ever
produced, but sadly it was going to be their last EM six card bingo.
Dixieland added another new feature called the "DOUBLE DOUBLE"
feature which would cost us six card player another quarter for this
"Double Double" feature bring the Dixieland up to a 11 coin max
limit. This 11th coin feature called Double Double was a no brainer for us
six card player. To explain this Double Double feature is easy because all
this 11th coin feature did was increase your replays winnings on the lit
double double card to a whopping double double amount. Here is an example: if
you have 5 in a line on the six card (300 replays) with the magic number lit
it is (600 replays) and the 5 in a line is on the lit double double card
feature your winnings will turn into (1200 replays) and of course at that
present moment in your game you could try and go for the Double or Nothing
features to turn your winning into a astronomical (2400 replays) for just
dropping in 11 quarters at the start of the game. That is some large pay out
in winnings ! I guess this game Dixieland had the best pay back offered in
any EM bingo ever produced by Bally. Let me do the math for you bingo players
that always longed for the biggest cash pay out for the least amount of money
to drop in at a start of a game. Here we go 11 quarters max limit dropped in
at the start of the game equals $2.75 and if you manage to win the highest
possible pay out which equals 2400 replays you will be paid $600.00 that’s
right $600.00 for just dropping in $2.75 at the start of the game. I have hit
this amount of replays twice during my playing days. What a rush I got making
the kind of hit !
Six card bingos are great
for home use because it doesn't take long to drop in the max coin limit of 11
quarters to play a 5 ball game. The multi coin games could take a player a lot
more time to drop in coins to build up a big feature game and with the 3
extra ball it could take a while to play just one entire game
Lite-A-Line:
1961 Bally Lite a Line 6 card
Bingo Pinball Machine.
I am not an expert but have
played many Lite a Lines and have two Lite a Lines in my collection at the
present time. As for the operation of this 6 card bingo I think the first
,second and third cards on the back glass light up with each coin dropped
through the coin slot at the start of the game. The forth ,fifth and sixth
cards light up at random as the player deposits more coins into the coin slot
at the start of the game. After playing Lite a Lines for about 40years I have
learn to listen very closely to the clicks in the back box and know the
correct sounding click that will award the player the forth, fifth or sixth
card that are only lit at random. Also there is a center spot number stepper
unit in back box that will spot the center number on any of the 6 cards and
only happens at random after the first ball is shot through the ball gate
switch at the top arch of the playfield. I didn’t know this center spot
number feature even existed until I bought my first Lite a Line and restored
the the game. All the Lite a Lines I played as a kid growing up in the great
city of Newark NJ in the 1960’s and early 1970’s that were on routes the
vendors all disconnected the wires to the center spot stepper unit therefore
never allowing us players to have that advantage when trying to win at
playing a Lite a Line. Lite a Lines are the hardest bingos to beat and I
think the vendors took advantage of the player back then when they
disconnected these center spot feature. The vendors didn’t need to do this to
the games especially since the only other built in feature this game had was
the yellow super lines which are always lit if you have the card lit. I have
seen some wiring modifications done to some of the Lite a Lines so that if
you drop a coin into the game it would light up the first, second and third
cards at one time. A vendor could have any kind of wiring modification done
to any bingo to allow a play amounts of cards to light up or not light up
etc…..The Lite a Line is a simple bingo to learn how to play and doesn’t have
many features at all except for the center spot number and yellow super lines
its like the first bingo Bally ever produced in 1951 called Bright Lights
which I have had the pleasure owning a while ago.
Vic’s Gayety finds a new home:
Hi Danny,
Sometimes letting go such
a beautiful "one of a kind condition" bingo like my
Gayety was a hard thing to do, but i think the bingos need to be
shared so that other bingo lovers that have played and remembered
the bingo pinballs as kids growing up and didn't have any of their own
could have their dream come true.Check out this quick story below.
"Sending a bingo
machines to a new home."
Today I forced myself to let
go another beautiful “all original” in near perfect cosmetic
condition/perfect working throughout entire game (including a near
perfect up graded back glass) because i could use some much
needed space in my growing gameroom and maybe i thought it was time to
share this wonderful bingo pinball machine. Pictures of this beauty
are attached to this email.
My Gayety has gone to a new
home in Maine
6 plus hours from my house here in N.J. The new owner is a long time bingo
player looking to relive his childhood days as he remembers them dropping all
the nickels he could round up back in the late 1950’s as a young kid growing
up. I guess it is best that the Gayety is with Bill in Maine
now since Gayety was the bingo he played as a kid growing up and seems
to be that it will bring him joy to once again to be able to play this
wonderful animated wood rail bingo pinball machine. I have had my
Gayety for over 5 years now and can honestly say it is a great player
especially with the back glass and playfield animation of the Magic
(moving) Lines with the Magic Pockets (the balls jumping in and out
across and back the top row of numbered holes 1 thru 7). I was sad to
see the Gayety go but know in the back of my mind that it is going to a
good home and hopefully will get played more then I have been
playing it the last couple of years or so. I grew up playing all the
Bally 6 card bingo machines from Lite a Line thru
Dixieland and will continue to keep them in my collection because of
sentimental reasons.
Talk to you,
Vic Campolattaro
Man, that
sure is pretty! - Great legs!!
Vic is build his own set of pages:
Hi
Danny,
Here
is my opening page to my website .
http://www.jerseypinball.com/campgames.html
I
have been trying to get my website up and running again but haven't been able
to do so at the present time. If you want you can put this opening page on
your website.
Thanks
Vic
No doubt about it, Vic is definitely “The Player”
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