Most people who’ve spent time at online casinos might know Bally Technologies, although they might not know it by that name. Bally Technologies has been around for over 50 years and has traded under various names since their inception.
In 1964 they introduced the very first electromechanically based slot machine named Money Honey. Since then they’ve provided services to some of the world’s largest casinos including Trump Entertainment, Mohegan Sun, Caesar’s Entertainment and Las Vegas Sands.
Bally Casinos
Today their focus is on providing hardware and software solutions to various casinos although their primary market is Native American casinos and Riverboat casinos.
Throughout the year’s they’ve won many awards including awards for their iGaming Platform and Remote Gaming Server. In the last 3 years alone, they’ve won over 40 awards in total which is a true testament to their efforts.
Bally History
Bally Technologies was founded way back in 1968 by a team of businessmen, Jack Solomon and Alvin Snapper. These guys owned various patents within the medical and tech industries. A short year after being founded, the company’s stock went public.
Initially, they founded the company as a base to create various other patents and spent their first 12 years acquiring more than 80. The company has traded under various names since its inception including Advanced Patent Technology, Gaming and Technology, Alliance Gaming and finally Bally Technologies.
It was only in 1979 that the company dedicated their time to the gaming industry. It was in this year when United Coin Machine Company came about, one of Nevada’s largest slot operators at the time.
In the 90’s they looked at additional ways to gain footing in the casino hardware industry since this section was dominated by IGT at the time with more than 70% share in the market. In 1993, they started talks to merge with Bally but it was only in 1996 that this deal was finalised. The transaction amount for this merger was a whopping $185 million.
The company continued to trade as Alliance Gaming until 2006 when the entire company adopted the Bally name.
In 2013 they introduced their first wager-based game at various venues, most notable of which is Mr. Green Casino. In 2014, they were taken over by Scientific Games who has taken the company to new heights.
Bally Games
Bally has a vast list of gaming titles available in multiple categories including video slots, table games, sports betting and Bingo.
Their games are all available online with the majority being available on mobile as well. Their mobile platform is a relatively new addition but has been a main point of focus in order to support as many software platforms as possible. As such, the majority of Bally’s mobile offers will be available on iOS and Android-based mobile devices as well as Blackberry’s.
Through the years, Bally has managed to create several fan favourite slot games. One of these is the branded slot game, Playboy Slots: Hot Zone. This 5 reel slot game features various pin-up girls and playboy bunnies which is probably one of the main reasons why it’s so popular. The game takes players back to the 1950s when Playboy was still building a reputation. The owner, Hugh Heffner can also be seen to make the occasional appearance. The game features expanding wilds which will automatically trigger after a certain amount of spins if it hasn’t already happened. Another feature to look out for is free spins which can include 8, 10 or even 20 free games. It’s not every day you are offered the keys to the Playboy mansion, even if it’s just digital.
Thunderhorn is another popular game from Bally that was initially created to be played in land-based casinos. It has since been moved to the online market and features the same sort of gameplay, including 1024 ways to win. This African themed slot game features various animals and African symbols including Cheetahs, pottery bowls, decorative tribal masks, drums, trees and of course the rhino which is also the most valuable symbol. Along with the multiple ways to win, this game also features wilds, multipliers, scatters and free spins. The game offers anything up to 20 free spins at a time which triggers more frequently than expected.
Bally Software
In addition to their mobile games, they also offer a range of other apps to be downloaded through the various app stores. A good point to note as well is that their mobile games don’t trail behind their online counterparts in terms of quality. In fact, they offer the same technology, gameplay, bonuses, graphics and audio.
In 1999, they launched their revolutionary jackpot system named Thrillions. This was first launched to work through their Bettie Boop themed slot game and was later spread to others such as Popeye and Blondie.
Shortly after, they launched their well known EVO platform as well as EVO3, teaming up with the gurus at Microsoft.
