BALLY BINGO 42ND AND BROADWAY (1951)

History…
This is one of the earliest bingo games Bally made. I had played it for some 10 years before having to store it for 20+ years. When I recently took it out of storage and plugged it in sure enough it still worked!
This game was associated with other Bally bingo games from the early fifties and sometimes parts were transformed into new games. In the case of this game the playfield and cabinet were from a Bally Spot Lite game, which might be why the playfield features ice skaters while the backglass has girls dancing on Broadway.

Play…
Using 5 balls the player tries to get the balls into numbered holes on the playfield and try to line up with numbers on the bingo card. Payouts begin with 3 in a row.
It features an automatic ball lift that silently places a ball in the launch zone ready for the pull of the plunger. Once a ball is in play the playfield holes close and you are ready to strategically nudge the ball into a numbered hole. As soon as one ball has been put into play another ball is automatically lifted and you can play it or wait for the previous ball to get into a hole, you can control how many balls you want on the playfield. During play the machine’s electro-mechanical “computer” is always searching for a winning combo and will reward you with proper credits whenever it finds one. The credit counter goes to 999. Back in 1951 this would have been one of the most hi-tech machines the public could interact with!

Condition…
As noted earlier it is working and rewards proper credits. The game has a couple extra features that I believe were disabled by the operator, this was done sometimes to skirt the local law as many of these games were used as gambling.

The backglass is in very nice condition with vibrant color and minimal flaking. I have included pictures of the noted flaking.

The playfield is also in very nice condition and just recently cleaned, waxed. It has the original scorecard and play card even the union label. The red Bally plastic ball cap is clean with no cracks. The plastic light covers are in very nice condition.

The cabinet has the original paint and in very nice condition. The wood rails and backglass frame as well as the legs are in nice condition. The legs have levelers. The front of the cabinet has some metal plates covering up what was extra features the operator could activate. Set on free play you just press the front button. It has all the keys. The backdoor may have been modified as there is no lock.

This game with it’s warm tones would look great in the right setting. Sure it’s fun to play but you’ll be amazed at how this game can search and search to find any winning combination. Hi-Tech indeed! At parties your guests will marvel at it’s sound as the motors and relays quietly click clack away! And they will enjoy playing it over and over to line up 5 in a row!

Available for local pickup in San Jose, CA or shipped with buyer arranging and paying for shipping.

Get this game in time for the holidays so family can enjoy!
Thank you for your time and interest!