Crosswords

Crosswords is a rare electro-mechanical bingo-style machine from Bally Manufacturing Corporation, one of the most iconic names in coin-op history. Designed by Don Hooker, it had a confirmed production run of just 450 units. Its cabinet design was covered by a patent filed in November 1955 and granted in December 1958 to Charles G. Troeller and Donald E. Hooker, assignors to Bally's Raymond T. Moloney. Interestingly, Bally referred to this game as a 'recreation vender' for placement in locations that would not accept traditional bingo machines - it has no multiple-coin capacity or variable odds.

At the heart of Crosswords' gameplay is a clever word-building mechanic: balls landing in lettered holes on the playfield illuminate corresponding letters on the backglass, allowing players to form words. With 18 trap holes scattered across the playfield, the game offers an unpredictable experience that keeps players guessing. It is essentially the same game as Bally's 1956 'Spelling-Bee', but with different backglass colors.

As one of the lesser-known entries in Bally's extensive catalog, Crosswords is an intriguing discovery for serious collectors looking to uncover hidden treasures from the golden era of Bally's bingo and word-game machines.