
Fruit Bowl
A variation on the famous and very successful Twelvewin Clock, made from 1965, by which time the need to disguise the well-recognized gambling symbols had diminished. |
Bryans 1965

Hidden Treasure
This game, together with the similar Tick Tock was William Bryan's take on the three reel gambling machine, redesigned to find favour in British arcades by avoiding classification with the American gaming machines. The three spinning reels are replaced by four keys which swing to and fro. The red key must land over a keyhole for a win. Each subsequent key landing over a keyhole multiplies the payout, with all four taking the 'hidden treasure' jackpot. A door slides open during play to reveal the treasure chest's contents. Because all four keys stop simultaneously, some of the psychological tease of the three reeler is lost. In common with several gaming machines of its period, the Hidden Treasure uses an air valve timer to achieve silent game play. This was considered another way of not attracting attention from the authorities. In practice these timers were unreliable, being affected by temperature, humidity etc. and the lack of sound was unappealing to players. Like most British attempts to reinvent the one arm bandit, it met with very limited success. |
Bryans 1938

Little Stock Exchange
Insert penny in the slot on the top right side. Turn the handle at the bottom centre of the machine to start the wheel spinning. If the wheel stops with the arrow pointing at 'Pound', 9d is returned; 'Dollar', 6d is returned and 'Franc', 3d is returned. Please note: another penny must be inserted into the machine to get your winnings (it was a way to get around gambling laws in the 1930s). |
Essex 1930s

Little Stockbroker
Granville Bradshaw designed this game to exploit every loophole in the existing gaming regulations. Chance is eliminated because payouts are mechanically predetermined. Sometimes a plate was displayed on the machine indicating the precise sequence of payouts, but even without this, it was technically possible to figure out the sequence by watching or playing until the 69 step sequence repeated. Payouts are indicated before a coin has been staked in what became known as the future pay system. This meant that when a win was indicated, the player had to insert another coin to claim it. Players failing to read or understand the instructions often left with a payout pending, for others to claim.
The staid stock market trading theme is a deliberate move away from the racy fruit machine symbols. The disc indicating winning and losing stock judders into position giving some illusion of randomness, but play is hardly exhilarating. Nevertheless, the game was quite successful and appeared in great numbers at arcades that wished to satisfy demand gambling machines without risking the proscribed one arm bandits. |
Bradshaw 1928

Number Parade
Cubism seems to have influenced the exterior of this rare gambling machine but the result is a rather naive child-like appearance. The game could be mistaken for a standard three reel bandit, which was perhaps the intention, but play is more akin to the Stockbroker concept as it employs the future-pay system (a winning combination is claimed by inserting another coin) and the payouts of 1, 2 and 3D are exceptionally stingy. |
Unknown maker Unknown date

Pin Up Girl
These games started life as Pierre Bussoz Giruoettes, but were re-cased and restyled for the British market. You placed your bet on one of three girls by turning the knob (bottom of frame) to green, red or blue. After cranking the handle, the image breaks into two fast spinning halves, before settling again on one image. A winner paid 2D. |
Unknown maker 1950s

Roll Out The Barrel
Brenner was one of several British companies that updated Jentzsch & Meerz Domino wall machines, giving them a new lease of life in the immediate post war period, when there was a demand for new games but no materials to make them. The dice and Edwardian players are replaced by drink symbols and the barrel motif. Unlike a standard one arm bandit, the three reels are independent, with each barrel winning 2D, allowing a maximum payout of 6D for three barrels. |
Brenner 1940s

Roulette
Gameplay on these oak-cased flashers was straightforward: Insert a penny; press and hold the metal button and watch the lights flash, the object being to stop the lights on winning symbols by releasing it at just the right moment.
|
Jamieson 1960s

Screen Stars
Although it resembles a plain looking but fairly standard 1950s one arm bandit, Screen Stars is entirely different inside and was designed to circumvent restrictions that applied to such games. This is achieved with a simple but ingenious mechanism which appears to spin the drum randomly but actually stops it on a predetermined cycle. Few examples exist and it seems likely that players would lose interest once they identified the sequence. |
Hooper 1956