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The Penny Arcade

 The Coin Operated Machine Information Site 

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                                                                                  NSM Bingen

   

In early 1952 Herman Nack,Gerhard Schulze and Wilhelm Menke formed NSM in Braunschweig Germany mostly to handle their expanding Seeburg  juke box distribution  business. Jukeboxes were more popular in Germany than almost any country in the world at this time and profits were high. Like so many other slot machine companies this income from a single source gave NSM the means to expand and grow and take a few chances without too much risk. 

 

Their first venture was probably the Rotomint Record "A" although their first NSM produced Jukebox (the Fanfare 60)came out about the same time in 1954. 

                                

 

Both were very successful and both would continue as their main products for the next 40 years. In fact, in the late 1980s, NSM had the largest jukebox factory in the world.

 

                    

                                                  NSM Satelite                                                                       NSM Flashing

 

As far as slot machines were concerned they had hit on a unique design with the Rotomint which continued, under many styles but the same basic design, for the next 50 years and has to be the longest-running slot model in history. NSM made literally dozens of slot machines during this 50 year period but close examination shows there are really only about five different types.

                          

                            Rotomint Zwilling 1965                                                              Rotomint Sibler 1961

                                                                             These basic types were   

                                                         A  few multi or repeat ball allwin type

      

 

                            

                 see a video of this machine in action above left                                            Super Match

              

          The "World Cup" came out in 1974 and is a prime example of NSM's policy of using existing games and branding them with topical themes. The world cup was held in Germany in 1974 and this machine cleverly used photos of national team players along the top row which clicked off if the ball fell into the correct cup.

 

                                                   a couple of standard fruit machine types

                                

                                           Mint record 1957                                                                     Mint Super 1957

 

 

 

 

                                              A single wheel addition & Roulette type in various cases

                                 

                                       Lotto 1958                                                                          Addi Mint 1963

                                             

           The rather nice Roulomint Zero 1961                                                                  Roulomint 1955

 

 

 

                                 A few prototypes that went into production but never really made it 

                              

                                                 Finale 1962                                                                      Sputnik 1962

 

 

and the Rotomint which showed up in dozens of styles getting more and more complex culminating in the huge "Doppel AS" in 1980 which you needed a degree in mathematics to understand!! A more electronic version is still in production today.

                   

                The Rotomint in its classic form," the Rex"1957                                            The Karat 1961      

 

                                    

                                                    Bingo 1974                                                                 Record 100 1975 

                            

                                     Exquisit Royal 1978                                                              Doppel As 1980

                                     

                            Royal super (prototype)1980's                                                          Super 7    1990's

 

 

Unlike many slot companies NSM had a way of moving with the times without putting in massive investment, Always keen to latch on to the latest craze as a theme they had great success with Bowling, Football even spaceflight themes all using the same basic components of other machines of the same type.

NSM and their distribution company moved to Bingen in 1956 and merged in 1984. In 1990 Gerhard Schulze (who was the real driving force in the company) split the company taking control of the distribution under the name Lowen Automation and floating NSM as a non-listed stock company. This was perhaps a financial move for by 1999 Schulze had incorporated NSM into Lowen as a separate division. The two were fully merged in 2003 after being bought by the ABN AMRO investment group and named NSM-Lowern Entertainment. The company was thriving and the number two slot machine producer in Germany. Almost at once, the company was sold to Novomatic thus becoming part of one of the largest slot machine companies in the world.

 The company now employs over 3000 people making casino equipment, slot machines, CD jukeboxes as well as running over 30 casinos around the world. NSM are one of the biggest success stories in slot machine history.

 

                                                             Additional photos

                         

                                                                     Inside the classic 1950's Rotomint

 

                  

                                          1975 Record 100                                                                1960's Rotomint 

 

                                    

                                                                                             1970's Flyer

                                                                                       

 

 

 

 

 

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