Bally: The Worlds Game Maker

The book chronicles the life and times of Bally from the days of innovation and breakthrough under coin machine pioneer Ray Moloney to the ‘Barnum and Bally World’ under Bill O’Donnell to the renaissance of Bally under Hans Kloss in the mid 1990s. Emphasis is on the people behind the success of Bally’s pinball and slot machines. The quality and acceptance of a product is only made possible through the ideas, resolve and workmanship of the people who make it, and Bally is a perfect example. Follow the events of the introduction of ‘Ballyhoo’ at the 1932 Chicago Coin Machine Exhibition, the phenomenal acceptance of the ‘Money Honey’ with its new hopper system in the mid 1960s, and the development of the Slot Data System in 1976, the first fully computerized data gathering system for slot machine operations. These are just a few examples of the pioneering spirit at Bally. This book is a needed source of reference for gaming industry insiders, observers and analysts, and it is a welcome addition to the libraries of gaming enthusiasts.