Bally

Bally traces its origins to 1932, when Raymond Moloney founded Lion Manufacturing in Chicago to produce coin-operated pinball games. The company's first major success was a game called Ballyhoo, which was so popular that the company adopted the name Bally. Over the following decades, Bally became a leading force in two coin-operated industries: pinball and, increasingly, slot machines and casino gaming, growing into one of the largest amusement manufacturers in the world.

Bally entered the video game industry primarily through its 1969 acquisition of Midway Manufacturing, which became the group's video game division. Under the combined Bally/Midway banner, the company distributed several influential titles in North America, including Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man, as well as Space Invaders and Galaga. Bally's pinball division remained active during this period, producing solid-state machines and licensed tables throughout the golden age of pinball, with its name appearing on arcades, pinball backglasses, and casino floors.

By the 1980s, Bally Manufacturing had become a large conglomerate, with its most profitable ventures in casinos, health clubs, and hotels rather than coin-operated games. As it shifted focus toward gaming and hospitality under the Bally Entertainment name, it sold off its amusement operations. In 1988, the Bally and Midway pinball and arcade lines were sold to Williams. The Bally name continued to appear on casino games and slot machines under later owners, but as a manufacturer of arcade video games and pinball machines, its era effectively ended with that 1988 sale.