Lucky Seven

Lucky Seven, designed by Chris Otis with artwork by Christian Marche and software by Ron Crouse, was manufactured by Williams Electronics beginning in January 1978. Running on the Williams System 3 solid-state platform, it is actually the electronic remake of Williams' own 1977 electro-mechanical 'Lucky Seven', and production floor records confirm 4,253 units built between January and May of 1978.

The gambling theme comes alive through the game's signature feature: animated slot machine reels mounted under the playfield. The four-player layout offers two flippers, two pop bumpers, two slingshots, two drop targets, and five standup targets, with a maximum displayed score of 999,990 points per player. Operators could enable an unusual plumb-bob tilt option that gives the player two buzzer warnings before a tilt ends the ball in play; with the option disabled, the first tilt is fatal.

The sound design bridges two eras: alongside four chimes, a knocker, and the warning buzzer, a hidden score reel provides an electro-mechanical scoring sound effect inside a solid-state game. That transitional character, an SS machine that still sounds like an EM, makes Lucky Seven an interesting artifact of the industry's late-1970s conversion to electronics.