# Episode 23 - Bingos and the Law

**Source:** For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2015-04-03  
**Duration:** 19m 5s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/episode-23-bingos-and-the-law

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## Analysis

Nicholas Backbone discusses the historical relationship between bingo pinball machines and gambling law enforcement, particularly the Thomas Law and Jeff Johnson Act. He explains how operators and manufacturers circumvented regulations through backglass repainting, serial number mismatching, and mechanical modifications, and concludes with detailed technical guidance on backglass restoration and reproduction using digital photography and printing.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Bally innovated continuously to stay ahead of Thomas Law enforcement, which destroyed machines when backglass names matched enforcement lists. — _Nicholas Backbone, host, discussing historical enforcement practices_
- [HIGH] Operators evaded enforcement by repainting backglasses, removing red letter game features, or disabling features entirely to prevent identification. — _Nicholas Backbone, citing Facebook post of modified Bally Tahiti in Mid-Atlantic Pinballs group_
- [HIGH] In Maryland, operators couldn't legally put bingo games on route with matching serial numbers on cabinet and playfield, leading to deliberate mismatches. — _Nicholas Backbone, citing Maryland operator's post about assembling games in basement_
- [HIGH] The Jeff Johnson Act classified pinball machines as gambling devices; flippers were invented to skirt this classification by making them games of skill. — _Nicholas Backbone, discussing legislative history_
- [MEDIUM] In 1957, the Capper Act Supreme Court decision ruled bingos were gambling devices under the Jeff Johnson Act. — _Nicholas Backbone (note: transcript says 'copper and her corp and decision'; likely 'Capper' case)_
- [HIGH] Tennessee was the last U.S. state holdout for bingo machines, outlawing them in the early 1980s, which caused Bally to cease production. — _Nicholas Backbone, discussing market closure and manufacturing decisions_
- [HIGH] Bingo machines lack knockoff buttons required by Jeff Johnson Act; instead, powering off and back on zeroes the meter to comply with the letter but not spirit of law. — _Nicholas Backbone, explaining design workarounds_
- [HIGH] Keeney and Harry Williams manufactured bingo machines; Gottlieb made one-ball horse race games. — _Nicholas Backbone, discussing competing manufacturers_
- [HIGH] Digital backglass restoration can be accomplished using free software (GIMP) and professional printing on translucent stock to match original appearance. — _Nicholas Backbone, describing his personal restoration methodology_

### Notable Quotes

> "Thomas Law enforcement would go around with these lists of The Games. If the name on the sheet that they had matched what was on the backglass, then they would take the machine and destroy it."
> — **Nicholas Backbone**, early segment
> _Explains the direct enforcement mechanism that drove operator circumvention tactics_

> "What clever operators would do is repaint the backglass. They would scrape off the original name and put on the new one or they would disable for example the red letter game entirely and remove those portions of the back glass in some instances even repainting the entire glass."
> — **Nicholas Backbone**, early-middle segment
> _Documents the sophistication of operator evasion strategies_

> "In Maryland, for example, you couldn't put a game en route, a bingo game, that had all matching serial numbers... Obviously, they were wrong, because there was a lot of mate/man in bingos."
> — **Nicholas Backbone**, middle segment
> _Reveals the specific Maryland regulation that led to serial number mismatches and operator circumvention_

> "It's because of the Jeff Johnson Act. Now, because they offered five balls or up to eight balls instead of a single ball, they were able to skirt this provision of the Jeff Johnson Act that required more than one chance."
> — **Nicholas Backbone**, middle segment
> _Explains the legislative origin of bingo machine design_

> "Tennessee which was The Last Arcade holdout finally outlawed bingos in the early eighties and so with that the primary market the u.s. completely closed off bally said forget it and we don't make enough mate/man on the export The Games."
> — **Nicholas Backbone**, middle-late segment
> _Identifies why bingo production ceased at the manufacturer level_

> "You're able to claim that you're complying with the letter of the Thomas Law, but really you're not complying with the spirit."
> — **Nicholas Backbone**, late-middle segment
> _Explicitly characterizes the regulatory evasion strategy as technically compliant but ethically dubious_

> "If you can't see what your score is, it's kind of hard to play... the backglass helps make the game. Without it, you know, it's not the same."
> — **Nicholas Backbone**, restoration segment
> _Contextualizes why backglass restoration is critical for playability, especially on 1940s machines_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Nicholas Backbone | person | Host of For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast; collector and restorer of early pinball machines; expert on bingo machine history and legislation |
| Bally | company | Pinball manufacturer that produced bingo machines to circumvent gambling device legislation; innovated continuously to evade Thomas Law enforcement |
| Thomas Law | regulatory_framework | Gambling device enforcement framework that led operators and manufacturers to modify and rename machines to avoid seizure |
| Jeff Johnson Act | regulatory_framework | Legislation that classified pinball machines as gambling devices; prompted development of flipper-based machines as games of skill and eventually bingo machines |
| Keeney | company | Early pinball manufacturer that produced bingo machines |
| Harry Williams | company | Early pinball manufacturer that produced bingo machines |
| Gottlieb | company | Early pinball manufacturer (Alvin Gottlieb); produced one-ball horse race games |
| Universal | company | Pinball manufacturer (competing with Bally); manufactured bingo machines to skirt gambling device legislation |
| This Week in Pinball | organization | Pinball industry media outlet; referenced as resource for pinball history and research |
| The Valley Company | company | Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc.; continued bingo machine distribution through shade methods |
| Capper Act | regulatory_framework | 1957 Supreme Court decision that ruled bingos were gambling devices under the Jeff Johnson Act (transcript corrupted; likely 'Capper case') |
| Genco | company | Pinball manufacturer that produced Junior in 1937; machine discussed in backglass restoration segment |
| Exhibit | company | Pinball manufacturer that produced Mystery in 1947; machine discussed in backglass restoration segment |
| GIMP | product | Free, open-source image manipulation software (GNU Image Manipulation Program) used by Nicholas Backbone for backglass restoration |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Gambling device legislation and enforcement (Thomas Law, Jeff Johnson Act), Operator circumvention tactics (backglass repainting, serial number mismatching, feature removal), Bingo machine design and manufacturing history, Backglass restoration and digital reproduction techniques
- **Secondary:** Early pinball manufacturers and their competitive strategies, Regional variation in bingo legality and enforcement (Maryland, Tennessee, New York), Flipper innovation as response to gambling device classification, Preservation and restoration of vintage pinball machines

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0) — Nicholas Backbone maintains an educational, documentary tone throughout. He presents historical facts and operator tactics with academic interest rather than moral judgment. The restoration segment is practical and instructional. No strong positive or negative affect regarding the machines, manufacturers, or legal history.

### Signals

- **[historical_signal]** Detailed documentation of how Thomas Law and Jeff Johnson Act shaped bingo machine design and operator behavior; includes specific enforcement tactics (machine seizure/destruction based on backglass name matching) and operator countermeasures (repainting, serial number mismatching, feature removal) (confidence: high) — Nicholas Backbone extensively describes enforcement lists, backglass modification tactics, and Maryland/Tennessee-specific regulations
- **[regulatory_signal]** Different states applied gambling device laws with varying severity; Maryland and Tennessee had particularly restrictive enforcement; Tennessee was last holdout, outlawing bingos in early 1980s (confidence: high) — Discussion of Maryland serial number requirements, Tennessee's role as final legal market, and regional operator adaptations
- **[design_philosophy]** Bingo machines and flipper-based games were designed explicitly to comply with the letter (but not spirit) of gambling device laws; examples include five-ball design to meet 'multiple chances' requirement, knockoff button replacement with power-cycle meter reset (confidence: high) — Nicholas Backbone explains how five-ball design skirted Jeff Johnson Act and how power-cycle meter zeroing replaces illegal knockoff button
- **[business_signal]** Bally ceased bingo machine production entirely after Tennessee legalized bingos in early 1980s, eliminating the primary U.S. market; export market was unprofitable (confidence: high) — Nicholas Backbone states Bally's explicit decision to stop production: 'Bally said forget it and we don't make enough mate/man on the export The Games'
- **[restoration_signal]** Modern backglass restoration can be accomplished through digital photography, color correction using free software (GIMP), and professional printing on translucent stock; technique preserves original artwork and lighting effects (confidence: high) — Nicholas Backbone provides detailed methodology for Junior (1937 Genco) and Mystery (1947 Exhibit) backglass restorations, including equipment, software, and printing considerations
- **[product_concern]** Vintage backglasses (1930s-1940s) experience color fading, paint flaking, burn spots from bulbs, and physical damage; affects playability (lighted scoring) and aesthetics (confidence: high) — Nicholas Backbone describes Junior's light blue flaking, Cameron Silver fading, burn spots, and Mystery's corner shattering
- **[historical_signal]** Multiple manufacturers (Bally, Universal, Keeney, Harry Williams, Gottlieb, Genco, Exhibit) produced bingo and early gambling-adjacent pinball machines; each with distinct design approaches (confidence: high) — Nicholas Backbone mentions Gottlieb's one-ball horse race design as alternative to Bally approach; notes desire to compare Gottlieb vs. Bally designs
- **[community_signal]** Mid-Atlantic Pinballs for Sale Facebook group serves as venue for discovery of modified machines and operator history; community members share expertise on regional variations and evasion tactics (confidence: high) — Nicholas Backbone discovers modified Bally Tahiti and learns about Maryland serial number practices through Facebook group posts

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## Transcript

 The What's that sound? It's for amusement only the EM and bingo pinball podcast. Welcome back to for amusement only. This is Nicholas Baldridge. Today, I thought we'd spend a moment and talk about bingos and the law. Now I'm not fully aware of all the history, but I do know a few things. As I've mentioned in previous episodes, bingos were considered gambling devices, and so Bally had to continue to innovate in order to stay one step ahead of the law. Interestingly, games would continue to be on route that had been outlawed, and what would happen is because Bally was continuing to put out these new innovations,�оюbedh, Kindeg trees,agoguemonaryET asaki, Man, the amount of replays that they gave out, et cetera. Law enforcement would go around with these lists of games. If the name on the sheet that they had matched what was on the backglass, then they would take the machine and destroy it. Or, again, they would impose fines or other penalties. What clever operators would do is to repaint the backglass. They would scrape off the original name At muiting page on the new one or they would disable for example the red letter game entirely and remove those portions of the back glass in some instances even repainting the entire glass. So what prompted me to talk about this was a posting on Facebook in the Mid-Atlantic Pinballs for Sale group I think and someone had posted a Bali Tahiti which is a mystic line game. And it had been completely repainted, the back glass. So they left the odds section in place. They had repainted the bingo card so that the blue section was purple. And they had, or that had faded, I'm not really sure which. But they had repainted the rest of the glass to remove the name, and they removed some of the features. The only reason to do this is to prevent law enforcement from figuring out what was going on. Now another thing that I've seen is that certain odds would be removed. This was less usual and not caused by law enforcement. It was just something the operator wanted to do to make more money. Another interesting thing that happened that Bally did in order to stay ahead of the law was in certain states they put out games that didn't award replays. Now as I've mentioned in previous episodes there was the Atta Ball vs. Replay in certain states like New York. If you're interested in readingstick étaplektensjàä'єattișğğñçămsññåings स developsťçe¤wgksajükççå¤a'yasŠţţţšŢśšä' éšguardçšしゃţŏţţšäՠţţëšåţšţäţè snoţšŠţšå levers§äţšţũţåšţţåţå coinsŢåšţšũţå Prime This week in Pinball, Johnny Pneumonic, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, transliteamiliar So another thing that been kind of a mystery to me as I been in the bingo collecting world has been why the serial numbers don match on cabinets and playfields And I'm sure everybody is already aware of this that is already heavily involved with bingos, but I kind of had an aha moment earlier this week when I saw a Maryland operator post Therewasthatthatthattheirdadused to take games and assemble them in their basement. What he meant by that is that in Maryland, for example, you couldn't put a game en route, a bingo game, that had all matching serial numbers. Apparently, the secondhand market was good enough, and they didn't think anybody would go to the trouble of doing this. But obviously, they were wrong, because there was a lot of money in bingos. information at underwearfaithre Christianity,それ 더 그 도시락 A kitten'sẩn 입고 exit Through the door So, if you ever go to pick up a bingo and it's got serial numbers that don't match, that might be why. Especially if you're in my neck of the woods. One other thing that's interesting, I had mentioned in my horse race game podcast about how some machines were really one ball, but they actually shot five balls and four were trapped. Well, that was because of the Johnson Act, and this This was the big piece of pinball legislation that really changed the face of American pinball. Pinball machines were classified as gambling devices and not just these horse race games but all pin games. So the industry's advent of the flipper skirted the Johnson act by making them amusement devices and games of skill rather than games of chance at least in law enforcement size so the uh... answer to this horse race dilemma for bally and united which at the time was universal was to manufacture bingos So that's when bingos came to be. It's because of the Johnson Act. Now, because they offered five balls or up to eight balls instead of a single ball, they were able to skirt this provision of the Johnson Act that required more than one chance. Now, that came under fire almost immediately. and so in nineteen fifty seven the copper and her corp and decision in the supreme court ruled bingoes is gambling devices under the Johnson Act now each state was able to make their own decision and in Tennessee in south carolina they were legal to operate in valley continued The you know can shade your methods getting the games out there did you ever wonder why bingos are not made by stern or whomever what's because tennessee which was the last holdout finally outlawed bingos in the early eighties and so with that the primary market the u.s. completely closed off bally said forget it and we don't make enough money on the export games now another provision of the Johnson Act, which it's kind of hard to see in a bingo in the same way and this is intentional, you know this is by design is the knockoff button so in earlier games you could have replays stacked up on a meter and the proprietor could come and push a button to knock off the replays well this is so they could pay you out if you won On a bingo there is no knockoff button Instead it just so happens if you turn the game off and back on it zeroes out the meter It not quite the same thing but also pretty much the same thing So you're able to claim that you're complying with the letter of the law, but really you're not complying with the spirit. Just some very interesting ways of getting around the laws at the time. Now another interesting thing to note is that Bally and United were not the only ones making these amusement devices that could be used for gambling purposes should you so choose. There was Keeney and Williams made a couple of bingos and Gottlieb used to make one ball horse race games. In fact, there's one called the new daily races. Which is something I wouldn't mind owning I'm sure there's probably three of them left in existence but that's a one ball made by Gottlieb and I would love to see what the difference is between the Gottlieb version and a Bally horse race game. It looks like from IPDB they have the same kind of payoff trough and and I'm sure that mechanism is pretty similar. Just interesting to think about but at any rate For our tech today, I don't have anything that fits in with the law per se, but I do have Back glass recreation and restoration So I figure since we're talking about how back glasses were altered I could say a word or two about how I've repaired back glasses Since that's a common problem in older games I have a machine from The game was originally released in 1937 called Junior and it was made by Genco. And Junior came to me with all of the light blue completely flaked away and all the silver stayed intact but other colors were dimmed and there was a burn spot in front of one of the bulbs. Well eventually that got on my nerves enough that I decided to do something about it and The end of the week, I'm going to be playing a game called the I decided that I could fix it digitally and then have it printed. So, what I ended up doing, because Junior is a countertop game, which we'll get to in another episode, it's got a small backlash compared to, say, a typical EM pinball made in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s. So, I thought it'd be a good thing to start with. and also most of the paint was there it's just what was there was kind of barely holding on after almost a hundred years so what I did I made sure that I set the back glass down carefully on a an area that was all one color and that color would not show through the glass very much and i photographed it from the front and from the back and i made sure the angle was as close as i could get it then i took those photos and brought them into a free program that i use for photo editing i don't use photoshop because it costs hundreds of dollars i use a program called the GIMP it's got a terrible name and it's actually an acronym stands for new image manipulation program It's got some of the same feature Set as Photoshop, not entirely, but it can do enough to do this. So when it was in there, I made sure that all of the circles were circular, made sure that all the numbers were put in and touched up as appropriate, made sure that all the colors were matched where they were faded, I made sure they were all the same color. Continuous of the severity You will not be affected by any of the above and below on this stage wake atнок five minutes four right the and flip ins grip trent tilt tit απ the gold Muchas as is a separate flight in a second layer which starts off invisible or transparent I took black and painted the sections which should not have light flow through Once this was done then I had glass cut two pieces each the same size but half the thickness of the back glass BBBRORTASH indubbbered and Un securely Produced by the network & This week in pinball, Johnny Pneumonic, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, transliteelectronic I have one on bounty where it was done in two separate pieces and then you have to make sure that they are stacked appropriately when you put it back together. That's very difficult. It's a lot easier if you can have the printing company print it on one piece and then you install it in the machine. One shot. Pretty simple. So that's exactly what I did. I just farmed it around here the Richmond area till I found a printing company that would do it. I sent the file over to him and said, you know, hey, can you do this in this way? I am most concerned with accurate color reproduction and when light shines behind it if the masking actually prevents the light from bleeding out. And they were able to answer all my questions. They were able to print on a translucent stock instead of a white stock which allows more light to shine through. All the colors are there. The only thing that suffers a bit is the silvery. It's not quite mirroring or if it's mirroring on the original, it is very, very fine. It's not quite the same there. So I guess it is mirroring. At any rate, it is much better than it did look. And because the The cabinet had already been restored by a previous owner. It looks beautiful now. The playfield is original and it's got some patina, but I tell you, it looks great and it plays very well. So if I've also gone this route if you've seen my Facebook page with the shatteredbackglass for a game called mystery and that was a 1947 wood rail made by exhibit. Now because it was shattered I took packing tape and taped it together from the front and then laid it down, photographed it both sides, took it color corrected, fixed You know the parts of the image where the tape had gone across and reflected. Oh And one important note if you're photographing a back glass you want to make sure that you're in a well-lit area where you can see the colors very well and Also that you're not using a flash because it will reflect off of the glass and then you will have no idea what you're looking at So the hardest part to reproduce on mystery was the bottom right corner because that's apparently where it had been dropped and This week in Pinball, Johnny Pneumonic, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, transliteelectronic and it shattered in that one corner. This took many hours and I frequently called on my wife to double check my work. However, the finished product is beautiful and again, the backglass helps make the game. Without it, you know, it's not the same. So, especially on a game from the 40s where it's lighted scoring. So if you can't see what your score is, it's kind of hard to play. Well, that's all for today. Thank you for joining me. My name again is Nicholas Baldridge. You can find us online at foramusementonly.libsyn.com. You can contact me at foramusementonlypodcast at gmail.com. And you can find us in iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, RSS, and Facebook. Thanks very much. Talk to you next time.

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: dc9a52ff-84bf-42dc-b67c-0c401f900d19*