~1969 King Ball - キングボール by 日本自動販売機 (Japan Vending Machine) & カトウ (Kato)

Name: King Ball - キングボール
Year: ~1969 
Company: 日本自動販売機 (Japan Vending Machine) & カトウ (Kato)

According to the description, it is a 5 ball smartball-style game where you are trying to get 4 card suits in a row.  It has a payout slot at the bottom, but I do not know if it pays out medals or a different type of prize.  The earliest mention I have found is in the 1969 machine directory, though I believe it to be earlier.

1969 machine directory

In the company info of the 1969 directory, the game is in the list of items manufactured by カトウ (Kato):

But it also has King Ball listed under Japan Vending Machine.

King Ball also appears in the 1972 machine directory, and it is listed as from 日本自動販売機 (Japan Vending Machine)

1972 machine directory

1969 machine directory advertisement by 日本自動販売機 (Japan Vending Machine) for King Ball

This Japan Vending Machine advertisement lists King Ball in their product list:

All Japan Amusement Park 1970-05

So perhaps Kato was the original manufacturer and Japan Vending Machine sold it.

I wish we had a better photograph of King Ball, but you can see the front corner of King Ball in this photograph:

King Ball is the first machine, bottom left corner.

And in this new photograph posted by accs2014 we can finally see King Ball, and can confirm the name is written in English.

posted by accs2014