Winner

The Winner, manufactured by Universal Industries (a subsidiary of United Manufacturing Co.) in June 1950, is a single-player, one-ball electro-mechanical horse racing game. It was produced during a period of industry consolidation, as Universal operated as a United subsidiary from 1949 to 1951.

The playfield features 31 trap holes and a Skill Lane option intended for jurisdictions that restricted games to five balls. A notable engineering detail is the playfield glass, which has a built-in frame wired with eight lamps to illuminate the playfield; two copper strips at the top of the playfield make contact with the lamp circuit on the frame. Technicians have noted that the glass-and-frame assembly is heavy and awkward for one person to remove, particularly when the game is positioned between two other machines on location.

No designer is credited for the machine, and specific production numbers are not documented, but its illuminated playfield frame is one of the more distinctive engineering features among horse-racing-themed machines of its era.