5 Star

Released in 1951 by Universal Industries, 5 Star is a historically significant bingo pinball machine that played a pivotal role in shaping the industry. Though the game was published under the Universal Industries banner, the company was actually a stealth entity created by United Manufacturing Co..

At the time, United primarily manufactured legally compliant gaming devices and sought to protect its primary brand name from any potential backlash or commercial failure if this experimental bingo-style table failed to capture the market. Instead, the machine defied expectations and became an enormous commercial success.

The gameplay of 5 Star diverges from traditional flipper-based pinball by focusing entirely on a game of skill, probability, and precision plunger control. Players launch a standard layout of five balls onto a playfield filled with numbered holes, aiming to complete rows, columns, or diagonal lines. By inserting additional coins, players can activate up to five multi-cards simultaneously to increase their odds and potential payouts.

Navigating the table requires meticulous ball nudging to avoid losing balls to the bottom drain, while landing a ball in the Star Hole serves as one of the game's ultimate challenges.