Can-Can

Can-Can, designed by Don Hooker and manufactured by Bally as model 675 in a confirmed run of 850 units, is a bingo machine — a distinct genre of flipperless coin-op game in which the player shoots balls onto a playfield of numbered trap holes, trying to fill lines on a bingo-style card displayed in the backglass. Named for the famous French dance, Can-Can belongs to the long line of Bally bingos that were mainstays of taverns and arcades.

The playfield features 25 trap holes and two rollover buttons, and the game includes two hallmark Bally bingo features: the Magic Screen and the OK Feature, along with a white button for Super Sections. What made bingo machines like Can-Can so engaging was the wagering-style depth of their rules — by inserting additional coins, players could buy the ability to press buttons and rearrange the numbers on the backglass card at strategic moments: before shooting the fourth ball, before shooting the fifth ball, or even after the fifth ball had been played.

This level of player interaction and decision-making set bingo machines apart from conventional pinball of the same era. While the game's artwork and exact release year are not well documented, Can-Can remains an intriguing example of Bally's bingo line for collectors interested in this often-overlooked branch of coin-op history.