The Allwin was as ubiquitous in British arcades as the bandit in more gambling-tolerant America. The German-made Heureka, of 1900, may have been the first. A ball was fired around a short, vertically-mounted spiral, towards central win-lose receptacles. This set the pattern until it was discovered that a discontinuous track allowed the ball to orbit the winning targets, providing the suspense crucial to the game's success. Like Fey's bandit, the game evolved with added attractions and technical improvements. 1930s German allwins incorporated a generous three-ball reserve. These elegant, efficient machines became the prototype for British designs. Bright and brash plastic backflashes appeared as an antidote to post-war drabness while the quest for novelty spawned jackpots, multi-balls and moving playfield features. |
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Ostensibly a fairly standard five-win type, what makes the Wizard special is its unique auto-payout mechanism. The coins are stacked end to end in a vertical channel, and released one at a time when the ball falls into a winning hole. |
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