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2003 found Vic pretty busy. I must have received 30 mega
bits of photos (some real wonderful stuff) he sent me throughout the yr, he
shared an older article and wrote two new ones for us, and he has been busy
rearranging his collection – selling off a few – adding a few – and
generally freshening things up.
In August (Yeah! It took a while) Vic asked me to clean
up my pages and place all of his articles on the same page.
To also make them easier to find, as you can see on my
Main Page, I changed the names on these links to include Vic Camp’s name to
ensure people can easily identify them.
Vic’s Openly Confessed Addiction:
These are excerpts of his first article for Gameroom
Magizine – I only have a scanned copy of the mag to work with so I am not
quite ready to post it all yet, but I promise to type it all up here before
the year is out.
……….Vic openly admits he also likes regular flipper
pinballs – confesses to also being a Wedgehead……….
Excerpts
from Vic Camp’s “Double Addiction Confession.”
………………After about five years, it was just collecting dust
so my father sold it for $50. By then I had found the greatest pinball game
of all time. It’s name was Lite A Line. Sorry, no flippers, score feels,
bells, or knockers. This was a bingo pinball, nothing but pure skill when
you played this type of pinball. Once I found that store owners would give
you cash for replays I stopped playing flipper pinballs and became far more
addicted to bingos.
Bingo pinball machines were NOT
“for amusement only.” They would be placed in backrooms and sometimes right
out in the open in all types of establishments like candy stores, cafes,
bowling alleys, pool halls, etc. The city of Newark was flooded with them.
I started playing at the age of
14 and played them about 20 years straight. The first ten years I played
almost everyday. there were so many people from all walks of life who were
addicted to them. Some would lose their whole paychecks in 4 to 6 hours and
take out an I.O.U. It was very hard to control yourself once you were
hooked.
Bingo machines were operating
from the time the place opened the doors to the last minute before closing.
Sometimes I would wait around for hours hoping the person would get a big
hit or run out of money (a hit was term for when you scored number lights
in a row, paying you a certain amount of replays depending on what odds you
have lit) Then (hopefully) I would get a chance to play. If I couldn’t get
a machine anytime soon I would go play at another location where I was
comfortable playing.
Some of these Lite A Lines where
at the same locations for years. That would benefit a good player because
you could really get used to a machine from playing it all of the time. In
general, bingos were hard to beat especially after the operators rigged
them in their favor. By playing them all of the time which was a couple of
hours each day, I became a very good player and did well against the odds
of winning.
I loved the feeling of pressure
while trying to make those hard numbers for 5 in line. When I did make the
number I needed, I got such an electrifying rush. I learned all of the
tricks to beating these bingo machines just by endless hours of hanging
around watching other people play when I had no money, which was a lot of
the time as a teenager. People who watch constantly were called lurkers.
Some of the older players, men and women, didn’t mind if you watched as
long as you called the corner number they needed to win.
Lite A Line was a 6 card bingo.
The first three card were guaranteed for each coin. The forth, fifth, and
sixth cards had to listen closely for the high pitched click after you
deposited each coin. If you heard the correct sounding click you would then
be awarded the card. All of the operators look out for the center spot
feature on these machines, which I didn’t know existed until I owned a Lite
A Line. I don’t have the spot features hooked up on my game either. I
wanted to play the way I remember playing. Who knows maybe one day I will
hook it back up.
Lite A Line was the only bingo
that you could find throughout Newark from 1961 to 1971. Then Bally finally
came out with some other 6 card bingos after making so many single card
games, like Bikini, Can Can, Lido, and Golden Gate. They also made a string
of 20 hole games starting in April of 1965. Then (finally) in March 1971,
bally produced a six card game called Stock market, followed by Ticker Tape, Wall Street, Blue
Chip, Bull market, High Flyer, and Nashville. All of these bingos were six
card games and had many more features then Lite A Line.
In 1980 Bally made these first
six card digital bingo called Continental. Most of the approximate 100o
they made were shipped to Belgium. I actually played a Continental about a
year ago in the next town over from where I live. I know hardly any except
this one that are still operating on location. Continental is the most
fascinating bingo I have ever played. The features and odds are endless.
You could really really win or lose a lot of money in one game. I have a
Continental Golden and a Miss Bowling Turbo. Both are digital and neat to
play……………………..
6 Card games and the Ballyhole:
Well in response to the “little” hint I dropped out on
my Main Bingo page, Vic responded and wrote this wonderful article that I
am very glad to be able to share with you today.
This is great stuff Vic - It’s got everything: history,
hints, tips, tricks, and some absolutely wonderful memories. I cannot thank
you enough………..
I just got to
say it – “Dude you Rock!!!”
How to play a bingo pinball machine and make numbered holes
for in line payouts.
Well, how can you describe in words how to make a numbered hole on a bingo
pinball playfield to connect for "in line" wins especially the
"bally hole" which is the number 16. The 16 is one of
the harder numbers to make, but there are also many other tough numbers to
make like the 4, 15, or 17 to name a few which to me are
just as hard to make as the 16.
First of all there is no secret or magic trick to
making the numbered holes you need. The best thing any
player can do is play a bingo pinball machine everyday or as much as
you can to give yourself a chance to get a feel for the way the ball rolls
around through that "maze like field" of numbered holes on a
bingo playfield. The foundation of a "stance and style" is
important too. I hold the cabinet with my two hands
tightly gripping the wood or metal siderails starting at the top
of the playfield after shooting a ball from the ball shooter
lane. Then quickly when needed sliding my hands downwards
when the ball moves downwards but always keeping my
hands even with the ball as it travels downwards. Example: If I am
trying to make the number 23 my hands will end up at the bottom of the
playfield after being on the top and middle of the! playfield as the ball
travels down! ! and. I find that I have more control of the ball when
my are hands "horizontally" even with the location of the
ball on the playfield making it easier to try to make the ball go
where I want it to go. I also have my left thigh
wedged under the cabinet in front below the coin door at all
times while the ball is in play too. This helps me a great
deal for balance and comfort as part of my "stance and
style". I always crouch down some until I am
comfortable, plus I am bent over forward leaning down
towards the playfield leaving only 8" from my eyes to the playfield
glass for that feeling of becoming part of the machine and
always concentrating very hard with every move the ball
makes. You know the old saying practice makes perfect and you will
need plenty of time in on a bingo pinball to make some of the numbers! you
need for a in line wins or "hits". Hit is a term use by bingo p!
! layers for collecting wins or replays for in line or numbered lites
in a row on a backglass bingo card.
Being a serious bingo player/gambler on these magnificent games of
luck and skill for about 30 years growing up trying to make
a living off of them as a kid and playing mostly
everyday I am no expert, but the 16 can be made several ways
if the playfield is correctly shopped out. Before I explain how to
make the 16 or any other numbered hole the first tip and most
important I can give in playing a bingo pinball is to only and I mean
only shake the machine when you need to move the ball in your favor towards
a numbered hole or away from a number you do not need. Shaking is the key
to learning how to make a numbered hole and becoming a great player.
It's like any other game that is new to you. To understand when to shake
and when not to shake requires the person to learn this by themselves from getting
a feel for playing a bingo on their own. The way I play is I only shake
when I need to, carefully watching the ball at all times and always ready
to shake in a spit second if needed. When playing a bingo pinball you must
be very focused and you need strong concentration while the ball
is in the playfield heading for a numbered hole. Sometime you need to
make the ball take it's natural path only shaking it away from
all numbered holes except the numbers you need to make in order to
get a hit. This will come when a new or novice player has dedicated
some time each day to play and study the natural path of how the silver
ball rolls. Once you have reached a "fair" to "good"
level for playing a bingo you are now ready to look for the common rolls
for making the 16 or any numbered hole on the playfield.
Here we go. First always shoot the ball on the correct side of the
playfield! The correct side will be the side which you have a better chance
of making the 16, you do this by following your blockers.
"Blockers" are the balls already shot out that are now sitting in
a numbered hole. By controlling the ball in play and making the ball
in play hit another dead ball that is already in a numbered hole
you give yourself a better chance to make it to the 16 or any
other number you need before dropping in a unwanted hole. Blockers are
a important part in making the numbers you need. Getting the ball
near the numbered 16 hole is the first thing on the list to do. Using your
"blockers" and being on the correct side of the playfield will
give you a chance at making the 16 or any other numbered hole you may need.
Lets identify and label the 5 bumper posts that are just above the
third row of numbers 14,15,16,17,18. We will label the 5 posts from left to
right A,B,C,D,E. One of the most common ways the ball goes
in the numbered 16 hole is by getting the ball between the B & C
post or C & D post. Once the ball is there you can watch it closely and
not choose to shake or and take your chances of the ball going
into the 16 on it's own or when the ball is there you can shake the ball
side to side gently between post B & C or C & D which ever two post
you have the ball at and then watching it closely just as the ball is
hitting post B or C for the last time is when you stop
shaking side to side and try to allow the ball to drop into the
16 hole.
A lot really depends on if the bingo machine playfield is shopped correctly
in the players favor for making the numbered holes you need for
winning. Having good rubbers on the posts is a must for starters. Most
operators would have dead rubbers through out the playfield posts and the
tilt set very sensitive so the player wouldn't be able to control the ball
at all therefore taking away a players skill for making his numbers
needed to win. This condition of the playfield could not give
the player the best opportunity to make numbers for pay outs
which allowed the operators to make a fortune in cash from players
losing all the time.
I used to put a empty soda can behind the machine in the center top
section of the backbox (or head) and have a friend or
partner I was playing with push the machine forward so
I could wedge the soda can in between the wall and the
backbox (or head).By doing this it would give the machine some
stiffness and wouldn't allow the tilt bob to move as much when trying
to shake the machine to make a number therefore giving back some
advantage to the player for winning. This helped me a great deal ,but some
bingo players hated it and would pull the machine backwards towards
them allowing the soda can to drop down to the floor. I new this
because I would find the soda can on the floor under the machine and have
seen them do it after I got off the machine. If I wanted to play again
I would have to set back up the soda can which always wasn't easy to do
with the owner of the of the place ! watching you as ! ! much of the
time as he did. There are other things players used to do to rig the games
in their favor but operators and store owners didn't like it, but it was
always all right for them to rig the machines against the
players.
What great times I had hanging around bingo pinball machines. It was the
main attraction in my life for a long period. I have met all walks of life
that shared the same interest in these very addictive machines because
of the chance of winning cold cash at that very instance. That was the real
draw to these fantastic games. Being a poor boy growing up in the
streets of Newark and never having any spare money, knowing I had
a chance to turn 2 dollars into 20 dollars or more was
a big deal.
The most I ever one on a bingo machine happened twice in a short
period of time when I was 29 years old in the late
1970's after playing bingo's for at least 15 years. It
was playing on a bingo called Dixieland and just cracked open a
fresh 10.00 roll of quarters. I needed the number 21 for 5 in a line on the
sixth card, plus I had the magic number and the sixth card was paying a
double double feature that was lit. After making the 21 "like the ball
had eyes" I then had the nerve to double down the double or
nothing feature that comes up at the end of the game making my 1200 wins
turn into 2400. That’s right, the total pay out was 2400 replays at 25
cents a replay which equal a cash out payment of 600.00 not bad for putting
in the maximum coin limit of 11 quarters. Remember I did this twice
in a 6 month period. I didn't cash in right away because I felt I was
going to get another giant hit again but didn't and played the
re! ! plays down to a even 2000 replays cashed in. This Dixieland
was a brand new one at the time and wasn't on location that long, so it had
good rubbers on it and played to a bingo players advantage. The store owner
I new from being a constant player at his location so he paid me what he could
and told me to come back tomorrow for the rest of the money. He was in a
state of shock when he heard the sound of 2400 replays being racked up on
the replay meter. There was one catch the next day when he paid me in full.
He said that I was not allowed to play there for a while that I was barred
from the premises. He did let me back in the store and play again after
about two weeks but the game had been rig by the operator with dead
rubber rings and the tilt very sensitive. So I played a few games and left.
There were plenty of other locations through out the city to play so off I
went.
All my bingo's in my collection have wico 5/16" super
high bounce rubber rings making my games play like a dream. These wico or
any good brand rubber rings allows a player to make most numbered
hole without using much shaking at all because the ball just is very alive
from good bouncing action, which none of the operators had when bingos
were out on routes. Having the playfield level, waxed and a great
set of rubbers rings, plus lively springs make a huge difference in play
when trying to make numbers for hits on a bingo pinball machine. Making the
16 or any numbered holes takes some practice, but with the bingo correctly
cleaned, waxed, rubered etc you increase your chances of winning which
makes it more fun and less skill.
Well for me the thrill of playing the bingo's will never be what it was 25
years ago, but having them down in my gameroom brings me comfort and
memories that stay burning bright in my mind.
I dedicated this write up to my best friend Greg who I miss.
He was my "partner" on the bingo machines or what we called
them "Money Machines" and everything else in life we
did at the time all them years growing up on the streets of
Newark. Greg is no longer with us and passed away way before his time.
His favorite bingo line was the 9,13,2,1,10 which was the first line
from top to bottom on the 2 card of all the 6 cards games. Like I
said before the memories will never die of all those truly great times
we had hanging out together thinking off nothing but getting on a
bingo machine and cracking open that roll of dimes on the lock down
bar playing until we won or our pockets were empty.
Vic’s Very Top Coin Op:
Vic decided to write another article for Gameroom this
year and was very kind to forward us an advanced copy that I am very
thankful to be able to post here for you:
`My Very
Top Coin Op
Let me start off by saying I like all
kinds of coin op games, but my choice for my "Very Top Coin Op"
is a six card electronic bingo pinball machine called the
"New Continental Golden". This six card bingo pinball is
someway related to the last Bally six card bingo machine ever produced that
was made in 1980 called the "Continental". It was Bally's first
and only six card electronic bingo machine. All 1000 Continental were
sold and shipped to a company in Belgium where bingo pinball machines are
very much alive and popular today. I guess you can say Bally's very last
six card bingo produced the "Continental" paved the way for
the European market.
Remember this, Bally's first bingo pinball machine ever produced on
April 23, 1951 was a six card game called Bright lights(which I had
the privilege of owning)and I guess it was only right that they end the six
card bingo phenomon with another six card game like the Continental in
1980. In 1979 Bally made their last six card electro-mechanical bingo
pinball called Dixieland. The Dixieland was the king of all the six card
electro-mechanical bingo pinball games and the Nashville ranks second on
the big list of six card electro-mechanical that Bally produced in the
1970's.
Here is a list of all 21 six card electro-mechanical bingos that Bally
made from the 50's, 60's, and 70's in order starting with Bright
Lights, Frolics, Bright Spots, Fun Way, Lotta-a Fun, Fun Spot,
Barrel-o-Fun, Lite-a- Line, Shoot-a-Line(28 hole),Hole in One, Stock
Market, Ticker Tape, Wall Street, Blue Chip, Bull Market, High Flyer,
Nashville and Dixieland. Almost all of the 1970's six card electro-mechanical
bingo pinball machines had maximum coin limits which did not exceed 11
coins. These maximum coin limits allowed players to play more complete
games much quicker then the older 1950's and 1960's multi-coin games. Also
with the six card bingos you always have a lot of winning numbered
combinations in a single game which allowed players to collect the minimum
4 free replays or more every time. Even today there are some bingos being
operated in Newark, N.J and in P.A. mostly six card games too.
I have been playing six card bingo pinball machines far longer than I' ve
been collecting them. I guess you can call me a long time player even
though I am only 47 years old. The 21 six card bingo machines that
Bally made from 1951' to 1980' had come a long way, but
little did we bingo players know the best had yet to come with the
electronic era of bingo games that would be produced from
1980' to 2003'
So here is my pick for my "Very Top Coin Op". My choice is the
New Continental Golden. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw some of the
pay outs on the electronic bingos. Imagine winning 5000 replays in a single
game on the New Continental Golden bingo. Before I start my story about the
electronic New Continental Golden, I would just like to say how great
the electro- mechanical games are too. The New Continental Golden was
manufactured around 1990 or so by General Automatic Amusement (g.a.a.)
almost ten years after Bally's made their first and last electronic six
card bingo machine. One of the most important items needed to make this six
card bingo operate correctly is the 'key pad'. The key pad will allow you
to control all features and functions internally through out the electronic
circuitry. The key pad plugs into a socket inside the coin door next to the
ball lift motor assembly. There are about 40 different codes that make
the New Continental Golden such a unique six card bingo pinball machine.
Before I get into the codes, functions and features I would like to
describe the construction, artwork and design of this magnificent
bingo pinball. The cabinet and backbox is made of solid wood with
a dark colored stain finish and the cabinet and head is also carved
with a nice beveled design through out the sides for a great look. The back
box has small brass plates riveted in the corners for a fancy look but also
keeping the corners from coming apart. The metal legs and front coin
door are painted with dark brown high gloss finish to match the
cabinet stained color. The back glass is very colorful with a mixture
of a mirror and pin stripe finish. The backglass is packed with
the games features and odds explaining how and what to do to play
this bingo machine. However because of the tremendous amounts of
features plus the six cards, there wasn't any room for much! art work at
all on the backglass. This was also true on the older six card games from
the 1970's like Dixieland, Nashville etc..
The playfield does have some art work .Starting at the top arch on the play
field is a vintage Continental car and on the left and right sides of
the play field just below the numbered holes 14 and 18 are two large
beautiful looking lady's dressed in elegant gowns. The playfield is a
fiberglass type material which seems to get no wear at all on the surface.
There is also a pleasant surprise about the New Continental Golden it
doesn't weigh anywhere near the amount the old EM bingos did. No
control unit motors, search disc, cams, stepping units etc. The head
only has some electronic boards in it! The cabinet weighs more then the
backbox which is the opposite of the EM bingos.
The New Continental Golden has triple coin chutes and triple
coin boxes. The coin slots are located on the coin door and not on the
lock down bar like the older EM's. The New Continental Golden is so
beautiful that they belong in a living room, dining room of finished rec
room because of their nice wood stain finish. Thats right, no painted
cabinet. Another great thing about the New Continental Golden is they
are so much more quit than the EM's and operate much faster too.
It can rack up 500 replays in seconds. Ok lets go over some features
this six card bingo provides to the player and operator. There is a
really cool "lite attract mode" when the game is over and
not being played. The game will flash and blink the word
"SAFARI" on the backglass of the game. It does this by
putting each letter in one of the cards. The "S" is in
the 1st card ,the "A” is in the 2nd card, the "F"
is in the 3rd card and so on. They do this by lighting up certain numbers
in each card to form the letter need to spell the word SAFARI. The
next feature is the BONUS line feature. The bonus line is the numbered
holes 4,10,16,20,24 which are colored red and travel down almost the center
of the playfield. You can set the bonus feature to pay out on any 4 of the
5 numbers or just all 5 numbers. There is a separate led bonus
display for that feature on the back glass for the amount of pay out
which goes up as you deposit coins in the beginning of the start of the
game. This bonus feature can pay out as much as 5000 replays. Next there is
a feature called "playfield wins" this feature allows the player
to make wins by making the balls in any numbered holes in a row on
the playfield only (not the back glass card).Any numbered holes in a
row like the 2 ,3 ,4, wins a 3 in a line pay out or 8, 9, 10,
11 wins a 4 in a line pay out. The limit for balls in a row on the! !
play field only is five, so you can have nothing at all going on with
your bingo cards on the backglass as far as in line wins ,but you can win
on the play field if you have balls landing in a row. Another example
would be 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 or 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 will
pay as if you have 5 in a line. You can also set a
max limit on the game for replays won not allowing more than
20,000 replays or no limit to how many replays you can win. There are coin
value adjustments from 1 credit per coin or up to 16 credits per coin. Here
are a bunch of other features controlled by the key pad, Lamp Test, Super
Reflex Action, Security System, Tilt Enable, Extra Ball Value, Magic
Numbers, Double Double, Corners, Rollovers, Red Diagonals, and the
list goes on. All of these features can be set up to make the game easier
or more difficult. All Displays, Mechanical Counters, Electric Motors etc
have a self test mode too.
The key pad tester makes the definition of the program of the various game
options possible, as well as the operating parameters and also to realize a
number of tests. This game can be played by dropping in one coin or
hundreds of coins at the start of the game when you are building your odds
and features up. Another great thing about this six card game is it allows
players to buy up to 5 extra balls for a whopping total of 10
balls per one game. Yes that’s right 5 extra balls, but it will cost you
lots of cash to make that happen .I know what your thinking .Wow five extra
balls on a six card game what a feature to have as a player, but I
have been saving the best and last feature to tell all you bingo players
about because it is the greatest feature in my mind ever offered to the
bingo player since the introduction of the OK screen games. It is called
the "Super Score" game. This super score feature is a chance to
shoot for 5 in a line! but it doesn't come cheap! ! .It will cost you
plenty of cash or credits. Here how the super score feature works. After
completing your normal six card game win or lose and the game is over,
there is a button on the lock down bar to your right hand side. his button
when pressed will display a automatic 5 in a line chance to win, but you
must pay the amount of coins or credits required by the led displays
that are on the back glass in order to shoot for the automatic 5 in a
line. If you press the button again it will allow the player to select
what card and number they would like to shoot for 5 in a line. The six card
will cost you more money to shoot 5 in a line than the first card,
but will pay your more replays. After making your selection of what card
you want to shoot for 5 in a line on and pay for it, the first
of 3 balls pops up ready to be shot and the game begins. If you miss the 5
in a line shot with the first ball you then have to pay ! again for the
second of 3 balls! ! this super score feature gives you. If you miss the
number you need for 5 in a line once more you will have to pay
one last time for the final 3rd ball. I have to say again this a one of the
greatest features a bingo pinball could have. I never thought the day would
come when you could shoot for 5 in a line just by pressing a button. Every
bingo player knows the main objective on a bingo pinball machine is to
try to make numbers in a row to give yourself the chance to shoot for the
big pay out and the big pay out is a 5 in a line most of the time.
The electronics of the game automatically figures out how much each ball
will cost depending on how much it will pay you out for the winning number
needed. This game is so complex that it would take to much time to explain
in words. I would like to close by saying that the newer models are
even better with lasers and many many more features and than
what I have written in this article.
There are people in other places now playing the newer bingo
on the market. The bingo players of today that play these
electronic master pieces have known to lose a 1000 dollars in less
than a hour depending on what kind of gambler they are. Anyone
interested in bingo pinball machines can go to www.bingo.cdyn.com
and visit a truly great website. Make sure you click on links there and
visit Danny Leaches website also it is filled with fantastic information
and a article I wrote on "How to Play" a bingo pinball. If anyone
would like to add something about bingo pinballs regardless if it is
positive or negative their comments are welcome on Danny's site. There is
also a great book out called the BINGO PINBALL MACHINES a must for everyone
interested in bingos. You can also visit my game room collection on my
website at: http://gallery.fdu.edu/wsc/pluchino/campgames/
…………..Vic’s Links………….
Collector Registry
Phil Hooper's - Vic
Page
Vic's Own Pages - Camp
Games
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