History of Watling Slot Machines

Thomas W.B. Watling who was a founder of Watling Manufacturing and his older brother John, both Scottish immigrants, had begun their enterprising careers selling carnival games and equipment. Through this work they came into contact with Daniel Schall, who in 1895 introduced a version of the Schultze automatic payout counter wheel to Chicago. In late 1901 the Watlings incorporated with Tom as president and John as secretary, and purchased the D.N. Schall Company. Watling Manufacturing Company increased slot line by making their own versions of the successful Mills and Caille slots. They also began creating a few floor machine of their own design, including the MARQUETTE and the DERBY.

To be a competing manufacturer and get a share of the growing bell machine market, it was necessary for Watling to add this slot to their expanding line. Around 1911 they copied the new Caille FUTURE PAY BELL and OPERATORS BELL and sold them less price than Caille. Then when Mills introduced their wooden-sided OPERATORS BELL in 1915, they also manufactured it.

Watling stayed in the competition with imitations and lower prices, though they did come up with a few innovations of their own designed for the operator. Watling was the third largest maker of slot machine before World War I.

Tom Watling had five sons, John, Bill, Burns, Albert and Walter. All took part in designing and production of the Watling line of slot machines. Tom Watling, one of the most colorful slot pioneers, died during the war. He left the plant in the charge of his eldest son, John, who continued manufacturing the pre-war ROL-A-TOP, while the four other brothers left the slot firm for other employment. In 1948 John bought out the firm's lone new post-war model. The CHECKERBOARD, which sported a club handle, an overly-optimistic effort to gain popularity in the Nevada market. It was basically the early ROL-A-TOP with a new bottom front casting, closely resembling that of the popular 1933 Mills MYSTERY BELL.

After passage of the 1951 Johnson Act, Watling made an unsuccessful effort to capture part of the foreign market, finally selling its slot machine tooling to the Bell Fruit Manufacturing Company in England. Watling serial numbers had not reached 100,000 when their slot machine business became the first casualty of the Johnson Act, although the firm did survive for another 15 years by manufacturing scales. Just prior to his death, John Watling sold off his scale business and numerous assets including the family's collection of early Watlings and his father's Fey LIBERTY BELL machine. Back To Watling