Bet it all — this is Casino from Williams, an electromechanical single-player wrapped in a cards-and-gambling theme, designed by the pioneering Harry Mabs, a genuine giant of early pinball, with art by George Molentin. With light-based scoring, it’s a woodrail-era artifact from a founding master of the craft, celebrating the high-stakes thrill of the casino floor.
The layout is elegantly focused in the classic early-EM tradition: two flippers, a generous four pop bumpers, two kick-out holes, and a gobble hole. That gobble hole is a hallmark of the era’s bold design philosophy — the daring, high-risk feature that swallows the ball for an award — while the four pop bumpers promise a lively, bouncy ball and the two kick-out holes offer captured-ball awards to chase. It’s a clean, focused design in the classic mold, rewarding a player willing to brave the gobble hole for its prize while keeping the ball alive, all in service of the gambling theme and its high-stakes atmosphere.
This Williams Casino is a lovely piece of history for the collector who cherishes the deepest roots of the hobby and the legendary figures who planted them — and it’s worth noting that Chicago Coin built a different machine by the same name, so collectors should mind which Casino they’re chasing. Harry Mabs was a founding visionary of the modern flipper game, and the gambling theme was a perennial favorite, all luck and high stakes. For anyone who loves the golden age of EM pinball and its founding masters, it’s a worthy find. Brave that gobble hole, ride the four bumpers, and bet it all. Some machines are a piece of the foundation, and this Harry Mabs card classic is one of them. Place your bets and drop a coin.