Instead, the BALLY entertainment brand we’ve known for nearly a century comes from a shortening of the word Ballyhoo-the name of the popular pinball game that launched the business in 1932. Bally-unlike all of its competitors just mentioned-wasn’t named for its founder, nor does it have any connection to the Swiss fashion company of the same name (which actually was established by a guy called Carl Franz Bally). all operated here, along with future jukebox leaders Rockola and Seeburg. Most of the biggest producers of pinball machines-including Gottlieb, Williams, and Stern-were Chicago-based, and before World War II, the same could be said of the slot machine industry, as the Watling MFG Co., Mills Novelty Co., and Jennings & Co. Though not necessarily thought of as a “gaming destination” a la Vegas or Atlantic City, Chicago was the undisputed hub of coin-op (and gambling related) manufacturing for much of the 20th century. The consistent thread, I suppose, is “amusements,” and that can certainly be traced all the way to Bally’s oft-forgotten Chicago roots as a maker of coin-operated games in the midst of the Great Depression. It’s been associated-depending on your age and demographic-with arcade video games, casinos, rollercoaster theme parks, fitness club chains, and, starting in 2021, a stable of regional TV sports networks. Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL īally is one of the most recognizable and yet seemingly untethered brand names in America.

Museum Artifact: Bally Mechanical Slot Machine Reel, c.

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