# Episode 167 - Bingo Hacks **Source:** For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast **Type:** podcast_episode **Published:** 2015-08-25 **Duration:** 11m 12s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/episode-167-bingo-hacks --- ## Analysis Nick Baldridge discusses how Bally bingo operators and technicians modified machines to reduce player payouts by disabling features that were considered too generous. He covers specific hacking techniques including cutting wiper disc traces, disconnecting spotting disc wires, and severing circuit paths to prevent feature triggering. Baldridge provides concrete examples from Ticker Tape and Nightclub machines, and advises collectors on how to identify and potentially reverse engineer these modifications. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Operators would hire technicians to modify Bally bingos to make them less profitable by disabling features that allowed high payouts or repositioning of numbers — _Nick Baldridge, host, describing operator motivations and common practice_ - [HIGH] The simplest method to disable a feature was to cut the power lead to a trip relay coil, preventing the feature from ever triggering — _Nick Baldridge, describing technical methodology_ - [HIGH] Ticker Tape's super lines feature was hacked by cutting traces on the randomizer disc to reduce conductivity points from six down to approximately one — _Nick Baldridge, describing his personal Ticker Tape restoration_ - [HIGH] Nightclub's Ballyhole feature (number 16) automatically awards an extra ball when hit, making it 'too player-friendly' and a target for operator disabling — _Nick Baldridge, explaining Nightclub's design and modification vulnerability_ - [HIGH] More connections on a spotting disc increase the likelihood of being awarded features; skilled technicians could disable certain spots to make games more difficult without breaking core functionality — _Nick Baldridge, explaining spotting disc modification technique_ - [HIGH] Some operators preferred players engage in straight bingo rather than feature-based gameplay, motivating them to disable special features entirely — _Nick Baldridge, describing operator philosophy and design preferences_ - [HIGH] When evaluating a bingo machine, collectors should test each feature individually to verify it works, as hacked machines may show disabled features that never light up — _Nick Baldridge, providing collector guidance_ - [HIGH] Skilled Bally bingo technicians who performed modifications knew the wiring so thoroughly that they often employed complex hacks beyond simple wire cuts — _Nick Baldridge, reflecting on technician competency and complexity of some modifications_ ### Notable Quotes > "The issue is that certain ballybingos would offer very high payout features or would offer features which would allow repositioning of the numbers, which were functions which could be manipulated in the player's favor." > — **Nick Baldridge**, early > _Establishes the primary motivation for modifications: preventing player exploitation of game-favorable mechanics_ > "In some instances, they would even go as far as scraping it off the back glass and recoloring it somehow, usually poorly." > — **Nick Baldridge**, early > _Illustrates the most extreme modifications where operators removed visual references to features they disabled_ > "Is it a trip relay? Simply cut a lead to the coil and it will never trip. You have to be careful not to cut the common, but you cut the power lead." > — **Nick Baldridge**, mid > _Explains the most straightforward technical method to disable features_ > "The super line is one of the five horizontal rows which make up a bingo card, of which there are six on this game. It's a six-card game. When the feature is lit, if you get three balls in that horizontal row, it scores as if you've got four balls." > — **Nick Baldridge**, mid > _Technical explanation of Ticker Tape's feature mechanics that made it vulnerable to modification_ > "Nightclub has a feature called the Ballyhole. The Ballyhole was the number 16, which is the hardest number to hit on the bingo playfield. It's pretty much in the center. Well, in games with the Ballyhole feature, the game would automatically award you something. In this case Nightclub case it will award an extra ball" > — **Nick Baldridge**, mid > _Explains a specific feature design that operators considered too generous and commonly disabled_ > "So when you evaluating a bingo especially if it one that billed as fully working you should attempt to review each of the features of the game and see if they work" > — **Nick Baldridge**, late > _Practical guidance for collectors on how to identify hacked machines_ > "There were a lot of skilled technicians that worked on these ballybingos. A lot of folks that knew the wiring inside and out. And it's hard to come behind someone like that because they knew what they were doing." > — **Nick Baldridge**, late > _Reflects on the expertise and complexity of some modifications, cautioning collectors about reverse engineering_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Nick Baldridge | person | Host of For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast; expert on Bally bingo modifications and restoration; owns Ticker Tape machine discussed in episode | | Ticker Tape | game | Six-card Bally bingo game featuring super lines and corners features; Nick Baldridge's personal machine that had randomizer disc traces cut as a modification hack | | Nightclub | game | Bally bingo game featuring the Ballyhole (number 16) that automatically awards extra balls; a commonly modified machine to reduce player-friendliness | | Bally | company | Historical bingo and pinball manufacturer whose bingo machines are the subject of this technical discussion | | For Amusement Only Podcast | organization | EM and bingo pinball podcast hosted by Nick Baldridge focusing on electromechanical and bingo machine topics | ### Topics - **Primary:** Bingo machine operator modifications, Feature disabling techniques and circumvention, Bally bingo technical design and wiring, Collector guidance on identifying modified machines - **Secondary:** Specific games: Ticker Tape, Nightclub, Ballyhole feature, Randomizer disc and spotting disc mechanics, Technician expertise and skill in electrical modifications ### Sentiment **Neutral** (0) ### Signals - **[restoration_signal]** Nick Baldridge describes his personal restoration of a Ticker Tape machine where he repaired a hacked randomizer disc that had been cut to reduce feature award frequency (confidence: high) — When the machine is first turned on... [technician] had cut some of the traces on this disc... one of the first things I did to that game was to repair that disc - **[design_philosophy]** Historical Bally bingo operator philosophy prioritized reducing payouts and player-favorable features through selective disabling, creating tension between game design intent and commercial operation (confidence: high) — Some operators would rather that you play straight up bingo rather than have any of the features which provided some of the intriguing gameplay on these games - **[historical_signal]** Documentation of common electromechanical modifications operators used on Bally bingos to control payout frequency and feature triggering (confidence: high) — Multiple examples provided of trip relay cutting, wiper disc trace modifications, spotting disc wire disconnection, and circuit path disruption techniques - **[product_concern]** Many Bally bingo machines in circulation may have been modified to disable features without obvious signs, creating difficulty for collectors in determining original functionality (confidence: high) — If you never see a feature light, it's possibly because the game has been modified to award it very infrequently or never... it can be hard to know especially if you've never played a bingo if the behavior is appropriate or a hack - **[restoration_signal]** Baldridge provides systematic guidance for collectors to test all features on bingo machines to identify potential modifications (confidence: high) — When you evaluating a bingo especially if it one that billed as fully working you should attempt to review each of the features of the game and see if they work - **[design_innovation]** Technical breakdown of specific Bally bingo features including super lines, corners, Ballyhole, and randomizer/spotting disc mechanics that determined payout frequency (confidence: high) — Detailed explanations of Ticker Tape's six-card system, Nightclub's automatic extra ball on #16, and how randomizer discs determine feature awards - **[operational_signal]** Historical account of specialized technicians who possessed deep electrical and mechanical knowledge of Bally bingos, enabling sophisticated modifications beyond simple wire cuts (confidence: high) — There were a lot of skilled technicians that worked on these ballybingos... they knew what they were doing. They didn't do something as obvious as just cutting a wire to the playfield. It typically involved much, much more than that --- ## Transcript 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 for tonight's episode i wanted to talk a bit about how vendors or operators would modify the ballybingos in order to make them less profitable for the players, shall we say. The issue is that certain ballybingos would offer very high payout features or would offer features which would allow repositioning of the numbers, which were functions which could be manipulated in the player's favor. Another example would be machines where the game would automatically spot a particular number. well the issue with all this is that all this player friendliness means that the game is paying out more you don't have to rely 100% on the player's skill in order to get a payout and so what the operators would do either themselves or they would hire a technician to come and modify the machine so that you could still play it, but that feature would never come up. In some instances, they would even go as far as scraping it off the back glass and recoloring it somehow, usually poorly. But those were the most extreme cases. Normally, what would happen is that you would see the item on the back glass, but it would just never light. So, how did they accomplish this? Well, the easiest thing to do is to figure out exactly what triggers that. Is it a trip relay? Simply cut a lead to the coil and it will never trip. You have to be careful not to cut the common, but you cut the power lead. That a relatively simple fix Let take the example of my ticker tape This is a six game which will randomly award a feature called super lines The super line is one of the five horizontal rows which make up a bingo card, of which there are six on this game. It's a six-card game. When the feature is lit, if you get three balls in that horizontal row, it scores as if you've got four balls. If you get four in that horizontal row, it scores as if you have five. Another feature this game has is corners. If you get balls in all four corners, it scores as five in a line when that feature is lit. Now the game will randomly award this And it does this based on the position of a disc called the randomizer When the machine is first turned on And a coin is inserted The randomizer starts turning It's turned via a motor As it turns, depending on the position of the fingers on the wiper disc on the large contact plate on the back of this motor, as a coin is dropped in, it will either award or not. And the vast majority of the time, it does not. Now, this game, when I picked it up, had a hack where a technician had cut some of the traces on this disc. and they did this so that there were even fewer points of conductivity in the disc so that essentially there was one position that would award you one of those features. Now the chances of you hitting that one position are pretty small so one of the first things I did to that game was to repair that disc. Another example would be on a game such as Nightclub. Nightclub has a feature called the Ballyhole. The Ballyhole was the number 16, which is the hardest number to hit on the bingo playfield. It's pretty much in the center. Well, in games with the Ballyhole feature, the game would automatically award you something. In this case Nightclub case it will award an extra ball So as soon as you land a ball in the number 16 the game has already lit first extra ball and will auto that ball as soon as you shot your fifth one Pretty cool. But maybe that's a little too player-friendly. So what you would do is trace out the circuit and figure what awards that. I've never seen a situation where someone cut an under playfield wire. In this case, in Nightclub's case, with the valley hole, there's a second switch in that number 16. And one thing you could do is cut the wire that's going to that, or you could figure out where it's going to the Jones plug and then cut it out of there. or you go further into the game and figure out where it's going, where that signal goes to, and then stop it. Now there's plenty of situations that I've seen where an operator has made the game more difficult to award a feature or an odds jump, and that's by disconnecting some of the wires on the spotting disk. The more connections you have in general in a Bally Bingo on either a Jones plug or on the spotting disc, the more likely it is that you'll be awarded something. By default, most of the connections on the spotting disc are connected. in order to make the game more difficult a skilled technician can disable certain spots on the spotting disc which will still allow the game to play as intended except that it becomes more difficult to achieve those certain special features so maybe instead of putting in 5 nickels to light the magic screen, you have to put in 15 or 20. It's a situation that's very similar to that randomizer disc that I was talking about on the six card games. These are just some examples and there are many, many more. Some operators would rather that you play straight up bingo rather than have any of the features which provided some of the intriguing gameplay on these games So when you evaluating a bingo especially if it one that billed as fully working you should attempt to review each of the features of the game and see if they work If it's a magic screen game, can you move the screen? Does the time tree actually do something properly? Can you get a payout with three in the blue? How about two in the blue? Now if the game is a project, then you're going to have to figure out what the hack was and reverse it. Sometimes this can be very difficult. There were a lot of skilled technicians that worked on these ballybingos. A lot of folks that knew the wiring inside and out. And it's hard to come behind someone like that because they knew what they were doing. They didn't do something as obvious as just cutting a wire to the playfield. It typically involved much, much more than that. So that's just something to be aware of if you pick up one of these games. If you never see a feature light, it's possibly because the game has been modified to award it very infrequently or never. However, there are certain features which are only awarded very rarely, even in a fully working game. so it can be hard to know especially if you've never played a bingo if the behavior is appropriate or a hack in those cases it's probably best to ask someone well that's all for tonight thank you very much for joining me my name again is Nick Baldrige you can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com or you can call me on the bingos line. That's 724-BINGOS1. 724-246-4671. Feel free to call or email with questions about your bingo and I'll be happy to attempt to answer. You can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, via RSS, on Facebook, on Twitter, at Bingo Podcast. You can follow me on Instagram at nbaldridge or you can listen to me on my website, which is for amusementonly.libsyn.com Thank you very much for listening and I'll talk to you next time. _(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: de6f46d2-d90d-4c24-8177-5bea4d9ee8cf*