Adult Bowling Arcade

An indoor bowling lane for one or many players with full scoring: strike, spare, foul and time out rules, a worked score example and emergency stops at both en…

Adult Bowling is an indoor competitive bowling unit for single players, groups and team building. The game keeps a proper ten frame scorecard, so a session can run as a casual round or a scored competition.

Scoring terms

Strike (X): all pins down on the first ball of a frame.
Spare (/): the first ball leaves pins standing and the second clears the rest.
Foul: a ball delivered while the red light is on does not count.
Time out: a ball not delivered within the shot clock is judged a time out.

Scoring rules

Strike: 10 points plus the next two balls, both counted in the frame.
Spare: 10 points plus the next ball, counted in the frame.
Open frame: if pins remain after two balls, the frame scores the pins knocked down.

Worked example

Frame 1: 7 and 0 scores 7. Frame 2: 8 then spare scores 7 + 10 + 9 = 26. Frame 3: 9 then spare scores 26 + 10 + 10 = 46. Frame 4: strike scores 46 + 10 + 8 = 64. Frame 5: 8 and 0 scores 64 + 8 = 72. Frame 6: strike scores 72 + 10 + 20 = 102. Frame 7: strike scores 102 + 10 + 18 = 130. Frame 8: strike scores 130 + 10 + 10 = 150. Frame 9: 8 then spare scores 150 + 10 + 9 = 169. Frame 10: 9, spare and 8 scores 169 + 10 + 8 = 187.

Safety

Emergency stop buttons are fitted at both ends of the lane. In an emergency, press the nearest button before doing anything else. Staff also keep the approach area clear while a ball is in play and brief new players on the red light and the shot clock before their first frame.

Running a league night

Because the scorecard keeps itself, a lane can host a small league without a scorer at the desk. Staff enter the player list, brief new players on the red light and the shot clock, and let the ten frame game run: strikes and spares carry their bonuses automatically, and a foul or a time out is judged by the machine rather than by an official. Between groups the approach is checked for anything that would catch a foot, and the emergency stops at both ends of the lane are tested during the opening routine. The finished scorecard gives the venue a result sheet for the night, so regulars can be ranked across the week.