Founded in Chicago on January 10, 1932, manufacturing pinball machines, the company – now known as Bally Technologies – has come a long, long way. Ray Moloney was the man behind the launch of one of gaming’s most recognsiable brands; under Moloney, the company began making slots in 1936, and scored success with the ‘Bally Baby’. After Moloney’s death in 1958 and a period of uncertainty for the company, their resurgence began in 1963 with their first three-reel mechanical slot machine, ‘Money Honey’.

Along the road to success, Bally has recorded some noteable firsts in the gaming industry: it was the gaming industry’s first publicly-traded company, on the New York Stock Exchange; Bally also introduced the ‘bottomless hopper’, an innovation which changed slot machines forever.

Current Bally Chief Executive Officer Richard Haddrill explains Bally’s three key innovation throught its rich 75-year history: “Bally laid the foundation for the current success of today’s gaming industry through a series of groundbreaking innovations. First was development of the slot machine with the ‘bottomless hopper’. It literally changed the landscape of gaming overnight by allowing much higher cash jackpots to be paid out in the machine because it dramatically increased the supply of coins in the machine. This made slot machines, for the first time, profitable for casinos. It revolutionised the industry by shifting the profit centre from table games to slots.”

“Second would be the development of the first slot data system in the mid 70s. This system, known as SDS, gave casino operators a valuable tool that allowed them to manage their slot floor and track player habits in real time.

“Today, any sophisticated casino has a slot management and customer relationship marketing system that drives an enhanced player experience and increased casino profitability.

“Third, in 1980, Bally developed the first gaming devices to utilize advanced micro circuits. This led to the development of “virtual reels,” which has allowed the industry to create numerous different payout percentages based on the principle of random number generation defining the winning outcome of each spin. Bally followed on this innovation in 2005 with the introduction of its common technology platform called ALPHA OS, which allows both slot and mechanical spinning reel and video machines to be operated off the same technology platform, a real cost benefit to both Bally and its customers.”

They’re not content with sitting on their laurels, however. Recent trade shows have seen an aggressive, confident company, with an outstanding product line-up and an obvious commitment to quality and furthering their reputation for creativity. Mr Haddrill explains the company’s future path: “The future of gaming will continue to be driven more and more by technology, and Bally is leading the charge as gaming systems become an increasingly important way of delivering that technology.

“Today, Bally is the clear systems leader globally. Through the use of sophisticated systems, Bally is helping customers manage their relationships with players, manage their floor yield and create excitement on the casino floor.

“As the future of slot and video machines merges with systems, Bally will be particularly well positioned to take advantage of these developments. Our new iVIEW display and our Bally One System are bringing server-based gaming to our customers today, and we expect that trend to continue with full downloadable content in two to four years being widely deployed by casinos. And, Bally will continue to be an innovative content provider in both the stepper and video segments of the market as system-based gaming evolves.”

With further investment in people and technology, Bally can look forward to at least another 75 years at the forefront of the gaming industry.

Happy Anniversary, Bally.

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