Slot Machine Manufacturing Companies

admin 4/11/2022

Introduction to Who Builds Slot Machines

Bally Manufacturing, later renamed Bally Entertainment, was an American company that began as a pinball and slot machine manufacturer, and later expanded into casinos, video games, health clubs, and theme parks. It was acquired by Hilton Hotels in 1996. Custom Equipment Company Inc. (CEC) was founded in May 1978 as a distributor and manufacturer’s representative of material handling products to major manufacturing plants in the southeast. As a small startup company in Charleston SC, we quickly grew by offering new and innovative products to companies throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico. Founded in 1968, Barcrest was once the only name in live UK machine play, and now offer a handful of their games over the web as well. They provide many games for fixed odds betting terminals in UK bookies and are part of the Scientific Games Group which also includes Bally and Shufflemaster.

Who builds slot machines throughout the world? For such a popular activity, there is a relatively short list of slot machine manufacturers in the world:

Multimedia Games Inc. (a subsidiary of EVERI Inc.)

Of these companies listed, Class III gaming is principally supported in North America by Scientific Games Corp. and IGT. They are both global leaders in the gaming industry. Mergers and acquisitions are the name of the game amongst slot machine manufacturers. It is currently a highly dynamic corporate environment.

In 2014, for instance, Bally Technologies was acquired by Scientific Games. This acquisition is significant as Bally was the driving force for inventing most of the modern features of slot machines enjoyed by so many.

These gambling companies provide products other than physical slot machines. They often also supply casino-management systems. These software packages help casinos to “run” their operations from day-to-day and even in real-time.

Slot Machine Companies Las Vegas

This casino operating system software is crucial to casinos as a way to reduce cost and, I’ve found, a significant advantage play for slots enthusiasts. I’ll provide more on this topic at another time.

This operating or enterprise software business is as highly competitive as slot machine manufacturing. Factors that determine how successful providers are in selling their systems include:

product features and functionality
accuracy
reliability
service level
pricing

Competition is intense because of the relatively low number of providers and the limited number of casinos and jurisdictions in which they operate. Providers are Scientific Gaming, Aristocrat, IGT, Konami, and several smaller companies in international gaming jurisdictions.

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The Gaming Industry

Within the global gaming industry, companies building slot machines is trending towards consolidation amongst gaming equipment and technology companies. The gist of why is to increase scale and therefore operating efficiencies. The hoped-for result is accelerated innovation and product development resulting in broader service and product offering.

Several acquisitions of slot machine and other gaming equipment manufacturers have occurred recently, including the purchase of Bally Technologies by Scientific Gaming Corp. and the acquisition of Multimedia Games by Global Cash Access Holdings Inc.

Following a wave of supplier diversification in the gaming industry, where new providers have been gaining in market share, the industry is experiencing significant consolidation.

This convergence is attributable primarily to a slowdown in North American traditional slot machine revenues as regional gaming revenue headwinds, such as declines in same-store sales, impact the demand for slot machines.

Therefore, the machine gaming sector is evolving from just the sale and leasing of slot machines to include:

multi-channel systems and table games equipment for traditional land-based casino
lottery technology
real-money interactive gaming
online and mobile social casino gaming

A significant threat for the entire gaming and betting industry arises from illegal activities, which may drain significant betting volumes from the regulated gaming industry.

The loss of present players from legal casino operators has a material adverse effect on gaming industry operations, business, financial condition, and prospects.

Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS)

A global leader in the gaming industry, Scientific Games Corporation (SGC) is the current owner of:

Bally Technologies Inc. (one of the original slot machine companies)
Spielo
WMS Gaming Inc.
Shuffle Master
Barcrest

SGC’s company profile states that they provide:

lottery games
electronic gaming machines
server-based lottery and gaming systems
sports betting technology
loyalty and rewards programs
online social, mobile and interactive content and services

In 2013, Scientific Games Corporation purchased WGS Industries, Inc. Bally Technologies, Inc. was acquired by SGC on November 21, 2014, for $5.1 billion.

The products of SGC are installed in 450 jurisdictions worldwide, including all the major regulated gaming jurisdictions in the U.S. and 146 international gaming jurisdictions. They have 975,000 units installed in North America.

Slot Machine Manufacturing Companies Hiring

Within the gaming supply segment, SGC sees the competition on several fronts. Primarily, being a global leader in slot machines has resulted in their product lines competing with each other for space on the casino floor.

International Game Technology PLC (NYSE: IGT)

International Game Technology (IGT) PLC is a global leader in gaming that, according to its website, leverages a wealth of

premium content
substantial investment in innovation
in-depth customer intelligence
operational expertise
leading-edge technology

It has not only established local presence and relationships with governments and regulators in more than 100 countries around the world but also approximately 13,000 employees. For U.S. federal tax purposes, under current law, it is treated as a foreign corporation.

In 2014 and 2015, International Game Technology PLC experienced multiple corporate mergers and acquisitions involving GTECH, Holdco, IGT, and Georgia Worldwide Corp. which has been and is a complex, costly, and time-consuming process. The integration process is expected to be completed by the fiscal year 2018.

International Game Technology PLC’s online social gaming casino offering, DoubleDown Casino, is mainly conducted through Facebook and Apple iOS platform, a relationship governed by Facebook and Apple’s standard terms and conditions for application developers as well as privacy policies, both of which are occasionally modified, rather than by contract.

International Game Technology PLC currently does business in approximately 100 countries worldwide. At the end of 2014, IGT PLC had contracts with 717 casino operators in the Americas segment, with 249 in Latin America and 468 in North America.

Summary for Who Builds Slot Machines

Slot machine manufacturing is principally supported in North America by Scientific Games Corp. and International Game Technology PLC, both global leaders in the gaming industry.

The products of Scientific Games are installed in 450 jurisdictions worldwide, including all the major regulated gaming jurisdictions in the U.S. and 146 international gaming jurisdictions. They have 975,000 units installed in North America.

Bally Manufacturing
Industry	Interactive entertainment
Founded	January 10, 1932; 89 years ago
Founder	Raymond Moloney
Defunct	December 18, 1996; 24 years ago
Fate	Acquired by Hilton
Headquarters	Chicago
Products	Pinball slot machines later expanded into casinos, video games, health clubs, and theme parks

History[edit]

The Bally Manufacturing Corporation was founded by Raymond Moloney on January 10, 1932, when Bally's original parent, Lion Manufacturing, established the company to make pinball games. The company took its name from its first game, 'Ballyhoo'. The company, based in Chicago, quickly became a leading pinball maker. In the late 1930s, Moloney began making gambling equipment, and had great success developing and improving the mechanical slot machines that were the core of the nascent gaming industry. After manufacturing munitions and airplane parts during World War II, Bally Manufacturing Corporation continued to produce innovations in flipperless pinball machines, bingo machines, payout machines and console slot machines through the late 1950s. They also designed and manufactured vending machines and established a coffee vending service. They made a brief venture into the music business with their own record label, Bally Records.^[1]

Moloney died in 1958, and the company floundered briefly. With the financial failure of its parent company, Bally was bought out by a group of investors in 1963. Throughout the 1960s, Bally continued to dominate the slot machine industry, cornering over 90% of the worldwide market by the end of the decade. In 1964, Bally introduced the first electromechanical slot machine, 'Money Honey.', They became a publicly traded company and made several acquisitions, including German company Guenter Wulff-Apparatebau (renamed Bally Wulff) and Midway Manufacturing, an amusement game company from Schiller Park, Illinois.

The 1970s[edit]

In the late 1970s, Bally entered the casino business when New Jersey legalized gambling in Atlantic City. The effort moved forward even though the company was temporarily unable to attain a permanent license for the completed casino. During this period, company head William T. O'Donnell was forced to resign because of alleged links to organized crime, which he strenuously denied.^[2] When questioned by the Moffitt Royal Commission (the NSW Clubs Royal Commission) in New South Wales, Australia, during an investigation of criminal activities between the US and Australia, O'Donnell admitted that Genovese Mafia boss Jerry Catena (Gerardo Catena), once owned shares in Bally, 'but I bought him out.'^[2] He also denied knowing Chicago mobster Joseph Dan Testa, even though Australian police described Testa 'as a representative of Bally who visited Australia.'^[2]

The company opened the Park Place Casino & Hotel on December 29, 1979.^[3]^[4] Also in the late 1970s, Bally made an entry into the growing market for home computer games with the Bally Professional Arcade. It had advanced features for the time, including a palette of 256 colors and the ability to play 4-voice music. It shipped with a cartridge that allowed users to do a limited amount of programming on the machine themselves, using the BASIC language and record their programs on cassette tape. However, because it cost more than its major competitor, the Atari 2600, and had much fewer games, it failed to compete successfully despite a loyal following. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Midway became a primary source of income for Bally as it became an early arcade video game maker and obtained licenses for three of the most popular video games of all time: Space Invaders, Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man.^[3]

The 1980s[edit]

By the mid-1980s, Bally again had a strong balance sheet and began buying other businesses, including the Six Flags amusement park chain in 1983, and the Health and Tennis Corporation of America. The health club division, Bally Total Fitness, grew during the 1980s and 1990s. The company also purchased several casinos, including the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip (subsequently rebranded Bally's Las Vegas); The MGM Grand Reno in Reno, Nevada; and the Golden Nugget Atlantic City, rebranded Bally's Grand and later The Grand—A Bally's Casino Resort. The expansion quickly took its toll on the company's finances, and Bally was soon forced to sell off several divisions, including Six Flags and Bally-Midway. The pinball division, along with Midway, was acquired by Williams Electronics in 1988.

The 1990s[edit]

In 1990, Bally came under new management as its largest shareholder, Arthur Goldberg, was appointed chairman and began a restructuring process.^[5] By 1993, the company had sold off several divisions and used the proceeds to pay down debts, including the slot machine division (which became Bally Gaming International, an independent company); Scientific Games, a maker of lottery equipment; Bally's Reno; and exercise equipment maker Life Fitness.^[6] The Aladdin's Castle chain of video arcades was sold that year to Namco and renamed Namco Cybertainment.

The company opened Bally's Saloon & Gambling Hall, a riverboat casino in Mhoon Landing, Mississippi in December 1993.^[7]^[8] It was moved to Robinsonville in 1995 and became part of a joint venture with Lady Luck Gaming.^[9]

In 1994, the company changed its name to Bally Entertainment, to reflect its focus on the casino business and the fact that it no longer had any manufacturing operations.^[10]^[11] It also announced that the health club business would be spun off to shareholders, to further narrow Bally's focus on casinos.^[11] The spin-off was completed in January 1996, with Bally Total Fitness becoming a separate company.^[12]^[13]

In May 1995, Bally Entertainment announced plans to develop Paris Las Vegas, a new casino hotel next to Bally's Las Vegas. Construction began in 1997, and it opened in 1999 at an estimated cost of $760 million.

In June 1996, Bally agreed to be acquired by Hilton Hotels Corporation.^[14] The sale was completed on December 18, 1996, with Hilton paying $3 billion ($2 billion in stock plus $1 billion in assumed debt).^[15] Later, Hilton's casino division, including the former Bally properties, was spun off as Park Place Entertainment (later Caesars Entertainment, Inc.), which was acquired in 2005 by Harrah's Entertainment (later Caesars Entertainment Corp.).

The name[edit]

Many casinos and businesses worldwide took on the Bally name and logo in the maze of ownership, division spin-offs and licensing agreements.

Slot Machine Manufacturing Companies Stock

Midway, and Williams (after buying Midway) continued to use the Bally name for its pinball games, until Williams's parent company WMS Industries ceased pinball production in 1999. In March, 2005, WMS Industries licensed the firm Mr. Pinball Australia Pty. Ltd. (formerly known as The Pinball Factory) to use the intellectual properties and the rights to remanufacture existing Bally/Williams Pinball machines. The Mr. Pinball firm also bought the right to manufacture new games using the company's new hardware system under the Bally brand. The license was transferred in October, 2010 to Planetary Pinball Supply (PPS) of San Jose, California.

Alliance Gaming, which bought Bally Gaming International in 1995, changed its name to Bally Technologies. Bally Total Fitness, gambling distributor Bally France, and arcade distributor Bally Pond still use the same 'Bally' logo, though any formal business relationships, as of June 2007, are coincidental. The rights to use the name for casinos were sold by Caesars in 2020 to Twin River Worldwide Holdings, which then changed its own name to Bally's Corporation and said that it would rename most of its properties under the Bally's brand.^[16]

The Bally name is was mentioned in the song 'Pinball Wizard' in the rock operaTommy and its soundtrack, by the British rock band The Who.

Pinball machines using the Bally brand[edit]

Select machines developed by Bally or Bally-Midway[edit]

Amigo (1974)
Ballyhoo (flipperless) (1932)
Bally Baby (slot machine) (1932)
Ballyhoo (flippers) (1947)
Baby Pac-Man (1982)
Blackwater 100 (1988)
BMX (1982)
Boomerang (1974)
Bow and Arrow (1974)
Capersville (1967)
Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy (1976)
Centaur (1981) & Centaur II (1983)
Cybernaut (1985)
Dixieland (1968)
Dogies (1968)
Dungeons & Dragons (1987)
Eight Ball (1977)
Eight Ball Deluxe (1981)
Embryon (1981)
Evel Knievel (1977)
Fathom (1981)
Flash Gordon (1981)
Fireball (1972)
Fireball II (1981)
Freedom (1976)
Four Million B.C. (1971)
Frontier (1980)
Future Spa (1979)
Gator (1969)
Hi-Lo Ace (1973)
Hokus Pokus (1975)
KISS (1979)
Lady Luck (1986)
Lost World (1978)
Mata Hari (1977)
Monte Carlo (1973)
Night Rider' (1977)
Nip-It (1972)
Nitro Ground Shaker (1978)
Odds and Evens (1973)
On Beam (1968)
Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man (1982)
Paragon (1979)
Playboy (1978)
Power Play (1977)
Shoot-A-Line (1962)
Sky Divers (1964)
Strange Science (1986)
Strikes and Spares (1978)
The Six Million Dollar Man (1978)
Vector (1982)
Wizard! (1975)
Xenon (1980)
Space Invaders (1981)

Developed by Midway[edit]

The Addams Family (1992)
Attack from Mars (1995)
Black Rose (1992)
Cactus Canyon (1998)
The Champion Pub (1998)
Cirqus Voltaire (1997)
Corvette (1994)
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1992)
Doctor Who (1992)
Dr. Dude and His Excellent Ray (1990)
Eight Ball Champ (1985)
Gilligans Island (1991)
Harley-Davidson (1991)
Indianapolis 500 (1995)
Judge Dredd (1993)
NBA Fastbreak (1997)
The Party Zone (1991)
Popeye Saves the Earth (1994)
Radical! (1990)
Revenge from Mars (1999)
Safe Cracker (1996)
Scared Stiff (1996)
The Shadow (1994)
Theatre of Magic (1995)
Twilight Zone (1993)
Who Dunnit (1995)
World Cup Soccer (1994)

The Crocodile Hunter Outback Adventure based on the wildlife documentary television series The Crocodile Hunter was in development by Australian pinball manufacturer The Pinball Factory under license from Bally. It was abandoned at the end of 2007 due to the death of the main character of the game, Steve Irwin, and never went into production.^[17]

Slot machines[edit]

Money Honey (1964)
Big Top (1982)
Jackpot Riot (1993)
Blazing 7s (1993)

Casinos[edit]

References[edit]

^'Bally Records'.
^ ^a^b^c'Bally chief denies links with mafia'. The Age. 18 September 1973. Retrieved 8 October 2018 – via Google News.
^ ^a^bChristian Marfels; 2007, Bally: The World's Game Maker, 2nd ed., Bally Technologies Inc., Las Vegas ISBN978-1-4243-3207-6
^'Bally Manufacturing Corp'. Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
^P.J. Bednarski (November 13, 1990). 'Top exec quits as Bally revamps'. Chicago Sun-Times – via NewsBank.
^Debra Dowling (December 19, 1993). 'Goldberg whips Bally Gaming into shape'. The Star-Ledger. Newark, NJ – via NewsBank.
^Laurel Campbell (December 7, 1993). 'Adjacent casinos open in Tunica'. The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, TN – via NewsBank.
^'Bally's licensed to open in Tunica'. The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, TN. AP. December 4, 1993 – via NewsBank.
^Michelle Hillier (December 22, 1995). 'Bally's rolls upriver, reopens casino closer to Memphis crowds'. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Little Rock, AR – via NewsBank.
^Scott Ritter (March 18, 1994). 'Options help CEO's earnings'. The Star-Ledger. Newark, NJ – via NewsBank.
^ ^a^bDavid Dishneau (May 18, 1994). 'Bally gambling its games will outperform its gyms'. Akron Beacon Journal. AP – via NewsBank.
^'Bally spin-off final'. Chicago Sun-Times. January 10, 1996 – via NewsBank.
^Debra Dowling (September 19, 1995). 'Bally Entertainment pushing out its network of push-up centers'. The Star-Ledger. Newark, NJ – via NewsBank.
^Barry Meier (June 7, 1996). 'Hilton Hotels to buy Bally Entertainment for more than $2 billion'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
^Joe Weinert (December 19, 1996). 'Hilton and Bally close deal'. The Press of Atlantic City – via NewsBank.
^'Twin River Worldwide Holdings to become Bally's Corporation'. Delaware Business Times. October 29, 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
^'Internet Pinball Machine Database: The Pinball Factory 'The Crocodile Hunter Outback Adventure''. www.ipdb.org.

Galecki, Irek (2006), Slot Machines History, Online Casino Press, archived from the original on September 17, 2012, retrieved 2007-06-25
Wilson, Mark R. (2005), 'Bally Manufacturing Corp.', Encyclopedia of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Historical Society, retrieved 2007-06-27
Lawlor, Pat (1992), 'The Addams Family', Pinball Hall of Fame, Internet Pinball Database, retrieved 2007-06-25

Slot Machine Manufacturing Companies Incorporated

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