Bally Manufacturing Co.

Bally Manufacturing Co. is an iconic American maker of coin-operated amusements and pinball machines founded in Chicago by Raymond “Ray” Moloney on January 10, 1932; its debut pinball Ballyhoo sold over 50,000 units within months and established Bally as a major force in pinball manufacturing and coin-op entertainment. Building on that success, Bally diversified into slot machines—introducing early electromechanical innovations—paused consumer production during World War II to support the war effort, and expanded into casinos and arcade video games through its Midway division, helping drive the commercial arcade boom. In the 1970s and 1980s Bally became synonymous with licensed-theme pinball and gameplay innovation, producing classic Bally pinball machines such as Wizard!, Captain Fantastic, Eight Ball, KISS, Eight Ball Deluxe, Twilight Zone and The Addams Family that remain highly sought after by collectors and operators. Financial pressures led Bally to sell its pinball and arcade division to Williams Electronics in 1988 and the company was later acquired by Hilton in 1996; although Bally Manufacturing ceased independent pinball production, the Bally name endures through successor companies, casino properties and a robust vintage market for classic Bally pinball machines.