Mystic Gate

Mystic Gate, designed by Don Hooker and manufactured by Bally in July 1975, is a single-player electro-mechanical bingo machine (model #1017) known for its clever use of 20 trap holes and its unique "Gate" feature. The upper arch rebound rubber can be electrically elevated as a purchased feature, acting as a gate operated by a button on the lockdown bar. When elevated, a plunged ball can pass under the gate to a spring-cushioned, flipper-shaped rebound bumper (labeled the "Rebound Unit" under the playfield), which redirects it toward the second row of playfield holes, bypassing the top row.

As a bingo machine, Mystic Gate also includes optional purchasable features letting players press buttons to rearrange colored sections of a card on the backglass -- before the 4th ball, before the 5th ball, or after the 5th ball -- adding strategic card-based play typical of the bingo category, on top of the "Mystic Lines" and "Gate Open" light scoring.

Bally documentation lists the game's release to production as 4-19-74, with schematic part number W-826-55 (shown as W-826-55d on the schematic itself). A related factory chime sound kit, SK-444b, was also available for the model. Mystic Gate is closely related to Bally's 1974 'Golden Gate 75', and its gate mechanism and card-rearranging options make it a distinctive example of Bally's mid-1970s bingo machine designs.