Are bingo pinballs any fun?   I don't hear much about them on this forum or the rgp forum.   They look awfully cute and seem to represent an era of time.   I've never played one - I'd like to add one to the gameroom one day, and just wondering opinions.

Or as there's really not much skill involved would the slot machine like a "monopoly" be a better compliment.   Ideally I'm trying to keep gambling out of the gameroom - no idea why, but seems to me current thought pattern.

They are flipperless games... you plunge the ball and look at them.  isn't that exciting?!

1- they are HEAVY BEAST
2- They take the space of a pinball
3- They are the most complicated EMs machines out there.
4- Same thing with the slots.

Stick with a gambling theme pinball instead

I know someone that has one. Indeed there is a great deal of skill involved. Nudging the ball to get the desired outcome is not easy. Many have different games or ways to get Bingo -- cann't recall the details.

All that said, I find them deadly dull. As much fun as watching paint dry. I tried it a couple of times and...blah. Stick with EMs if you want to remember by gone days or look to other arcade EM games (of course they tend to be heavy SoBs).

My thoughts anyhow...

Duane

I would agree, they will mystify the majority.  Rather than be a primarily "skill" based activity they were a way to create a gambling device that relies on a mostly random outcome in order to win a prize (and as such had their value in bars and clubs as a "group" activity.

That said, I would like to repair one one day...  

Thanks that about sums it up.  

I heard there's definitely skill in the nudging and the like.   I didn't know they were complicated EM's - I'm still learning the EM basics - but I guess the must have relay-banks to remember what's been lit - and which combination win?   Not knowing the first thing about EM design I would have guessed they were simpler than the EM pinballs.

Maybe a wood rail EM would be better - but they just seem too boring compared to later EM's.

Duane, its like the same one that's for sale - are the initials MU?      ( Too scared to give away the lead on a great deal - like finding a Jouse for $1000 )...

Quoted from Tuborg

Duane, its like the same one that's for sale - are the initials MU?      ( Too scared to give away the lead on a great deal - like finding a Jouse for $1000 )...

Don't know of the one for sale, but last time I looked all Bingos were cheap. They just aren't popular and, like others have said, are really complicated and difficult to work on.

Trust me, they are deadly dull.

Duane

TZ is right, and you guessed it, there is some "combination math" being accomplished by switch and relay settings rather than simply "scoring" which is just a matter of triggering a counter that knows when to role over 10's or keep track of who's up and how many balls.  The more switches and relays the heavier it gets and the more that can go wrong.

Bingos are cheap unless they're somehow "mint" or ultra collectable because they get boring fast in a home environment.  Woodrails of a certain age tend to be collectable because they took some of the same engineering in animated backglass features and complexity of bingos - but I am guessing all that iron turned expensive during the 2nd world war and so the simpler EM pinballs (which were really mass produced) took hold and relied more on artwork for their popularity.

Heed the words of wisdom "Try before you buy.  More than once."  And remember that you too will have trouble selling it when it's day is done.

Without exception, unless you have a healthy collection of alternatives, EMs tend to suffer from getting too "simple" fast (and taking up valuable real estate).  But if you can afford to go back to it once in a while for a hit (and they are popular with kids because they are less intimidating) then they make a terrific addition to a representative collection, and usually at a good price too.

As others have already mentioned, bingo machines are not too much fun, mainly since they do not have flippers.
Yes, nudging is an art, but after playing pinball for a long time, it is difficult to go back to a flipperless game.

I can only assume that they were somewhat fun on location, given of the attraction for a big payout.
Obviously, there is no such attraction in a home environment.
Still, the player needs to make some decisions regarding the selection of some features during play, to try
to align numbers/colors for a bigger payout, so there is some level of calculation and strategy involved.

I own a 1956 Bally Miami Beach, as well as a project 1974 Bally Bali bingos.

If you want to see amazingly complex EM mechs and logic, this is it.
A 4-player EM pinball is a piece of cake compared to a 50s or 60s bingo.
Bingo machines became more complex and feature-full as the years progressed (from the 50s to the 60s mostly).
The head of the machine is usually the heaviest, as it houses most of the relays, cams, clutches and motors (and fans!).

A good reference web site is here:
http://bingo.cdyn.com/

All in all, you might enjoy one bingo game in your gameroom one day.
Colorful, and more of a 'novelty' compared to a pinball machine.
They are usually available for less than $300... But are painful to troubleshoot !

Cheers,
- Sylvain.

Ba Humbug

You guys probably saved me time and & $$$$

So thanks!  

One of the related Brit bingo sites http://www.ballybingo.co.uk/index1.html gives a breakdown on how they produce new backglasses from two large format prints (one for colour, one for blacked out areas) sandwiched between two pieces of glass... gives me ideas.....