Williams Pinball machines are manufactured by WMS industries. WMS is an American company based in Illinois and is makers of electronic gaming and amusement equipment. Their two main subsidiaries are WMS gaming and Orion gaming. Williams Manufacturing Company (WMS) was founded in the year 1943 by Harry E Williams initially as Williams Electronics, Inc. Williams initially started their manufacturing business as makers of pinball tables. The first few products from the company stable were fortune-telling machines, electro-mechanical game, a novelty machine and pinball conversions. Williams was a Stanford graduate, who later on successfully developed the tilt mechanism for the pinball machines.
In the year 1946 Williams devised the first official pinball machine for use in amusement centers. The 1950s saw the invention of pinball machines with inward facing bottom flippers which was the most modern inventions of those times. In the year 1960 Harry Williams developed the last pinball table based on the horse racing theme. 3 coins became the first Williams table which sold over 1000 units. Skill pool sold around 2250 units, which proved its growing popularity. The year after 1967 saw the rapid increase in the sales of pinball machines. In the year 1964, Williams was acquired by the company Seeburg Corp a jukebox manufacturer.
WMS ventured into the reel spinning slot machine market in the year 1994 with the very first popular casino slot machine and video slot machines. The same year also saw very successful games like jackpot party, and Filthy Rich. By the year 2001 it introduced participation slots based on the monopoly themed series. They also successfully acquired licences to manufacture game machines using famous brands like Top Gun, and Lord of the Rings. WMS has continued marketing game machines very successfully also making profits on the way in this very entertaining and profitable business. Most of its revenues come from the United States market. Williams Pinball continues to make video game machines, reel spinning slots for casinos in the US, state lotteries and few select foreign markets.