December 2008
(c) All contents of this page and the entire RePlay Magazine website at http://www.replaymag.com and http://replaymagazine.com. Copyright 2008 RePlay Magazine. All rights reserved.
Touchtunes PlayPorTT Sells Out First Run
The entire first-run of TouchTunes wireless game and music platforms has already sold out, following its recent full production release. PlayPorTT provides bar and restaurant patrons with the freedom to play games, select music and have more fun from anywhere in the establishment.
Winner of an Innovator Award at the 2008 AMOA Show in September, PlayPorTT features new and classic games that can be played alone, in groups and even head-to-head. PlayPorTT also connects automatically to the TouchTunes jukebox, making it easy to browse and select your favorite songs.
"Our extensive beta tests and early rollout data show that the PlayPorTT earns as well or better than other countertop games," said Dan McAllister, senior vice president of sales, TouchTunes. "It has also been shown to add revenue even when other games systems are already in the same location. PlayPorTT has also been shown to significantly increase music revenue. The jukebox interface is available on each game terminal and can be accessed from anywhere in a location, which means more people playing more music."
With the first production run sold out, TouchTunes is now taking orders for its second run which will be available later this year.
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Incredible Technologies Enters Gaming Industry
Incredible Technologies recently announced that it has been issued licenses to manufacture and distribute electronic gaming devices by the State of Nevada. The company debuted its Magic Touch line of Class III video slot, poker and Keno products at last monh's Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.
Elaine Hodgson, president and CEO, said that it's a natural evolution for her company to move into gaming. "We are experts in creating games that attract adults," said Hodgson. "Ten million players have spent over $3 billion on Golden Tee alone during the past 20 years. We have the talent and the technology to enter the new world order of gaming that's developing today. The timing is right for us."
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Stern Right Sizes For Future Growth
Stern Pinball, set to begin shipping its newest pinball CSI this month, has reorganized its staff, letting some development and manufacturing personnel go in what the factory head calls "right sizing" for the future. Reasons for the changes included decreased sales, especially with recent fluctuation in the U.S. dollar making crucial exports much more expensive, and the anticipation of slow consumer sales this holiday season.
"It's time to step back and simplify what we do," said company president Gary Stern. "We've had to rebuild this business before, and we have a plan that we think will work. We've had to right size in light of the economy, and we'll see where we can hopefully add back in the future."
A lot of development work on future games is already in place, Stern emphasized, and the factory has been increasingly using outside design resources for its games.
Stern will begin shipping CSI, based on the popular TV show, later this month. Samples have already gone out to Europe. CSI will feature a number of exciting attractions including a skull, a spinning disc centrifuge, rules that challenge the player to find all the evidence and plenty of drop targets.
The pinball factory is not the only company in the industry to experience layoffs, but the firm finds itself in the spotlight because flipper game fans watch their progress closely and report the latest news to one another online. Look for more on CSI the pinball game on pg 68 in the December issue of RePlay Magazine.
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ATEI Predicts Strong Visitor Turnout
The 2009 Amusement Trades Exhibition International in London is on course to welcome a significant number of international buyers, if the early pre-registration figures released by organizers Clarion Gaming are anything to go by.
Thirteen weeks out from the Earls Court show, which opens its doors January 27-29, 2009, the number of industry professionals pre-registering via the ATEI website had already reached a level 46% higher than the corresponding figure for the 2008 show. The geographical split reveals that 67.5% of pre-registrations were from domestically-based industry professionals with 32.5% outside the U.K.
The significant contingent of ex-ATEI exhibitors now situated in the co-located International Gaming Expo will be encouraged to hear that IGE pre-registrations were also up, 52% higher than the equivalent figure for ICE 2008.
Clarion Gaming marketing manager Charlotte Skinner commented, "While the first set of pre-registration data gives us an early indication of the huge interest in the show, there is still a way to go before the doors open. Our marketing drive will intensify with the aim of maximzing both domestic and international attendance."
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Ecast Expands Into New Markets
Ecast launched the Ecast IQ, a new interactive digital media product intended to boost the Ecast brand into non-coin-op markets, including retail, hotel and sports arenas. Although similar in look to the Ecast EQ jukebox, the IQ is completely different in purpose and content. The IQ is for promotional and informational use (i.e., not music) in these new markets. Because it does not accept currency or contain a pre-amp, it will not be going into bars and nightclubs. Examples of how the unit can be used include:
* As a virtual hotel concierge: located in a hotel lobby, where consumers can view local maps, make local restaurant reservations or show photos from a recent event.
* Virtual retail assistant: inside a retail store, consumers could get detailed product reviews or view video demos.
* Sports arena infotainment center: fans could display photos of themselves in the stands or look up nearby restaurants for post-event meals.
"The EQ is the most exciting thing to happen to the jukebox industry in a decade and is the biggest symbol of our dedication to the coin-op market," said John Taylor. "It is important that operators understand the IQ does not in any way compete with the EQ. Ecast is absolutely committed to supporting our operators as our exclusive channel into the bar and tavern markets.
"Our expansion into new markets is intended to bolster our business by providing Ecast new markets to compete in, which will ultimately benefit our operator partners," Taylor continued. "Already, the anticipation of higher product volumes from these new markets is what allowed us to aggressively price the EQ to the coin-op market. Additionally, we may discover opportunities for our existing operators. Our more progressive, well-capitalized operators may have the opportunity to grow and diversify their businesses along with us."
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RedHot in Rome: Benchmark Gives ENADA High Marks
Benchmark Games reported another successful exhibition at the ENADA International Amusement & Gaming Machine Show held earlier this fall at Fiera di Roma, Rome, Italy. Benchmark's complete line of redemption games was on display in distributors' booths.
"Benchmark Games is a well known brand in Italy. We've experienced strong sales for a number of years in that market, and when Benchmark releases a new title, interest at show is always phenomenal," said John Denlinger, international sales representative.
Benchmark's newest game, RedHot, was featured, and had already been selling strongly in Europe prior to the Rome show. RedHot features a two-player design with spinning wheels, bouncing balls, bright lights, hot colors, and exciting sound effects. Players aim to drop six balls into "flaming" targets. All six award the progressive Jackpot.
Operator-friendly features include convenient, pull out ticket drawers, each with Intelli-Triple ticket dispensers, many operator programmable options, and long lasting LED lighting.
More information can be found at www.benchmarkgames.com.
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JVL Corp. says that all legal issues between JVL and Merit in the patent lawsuit brought by Merit against JVL's countertop videogame machines have been settled. "The settlement was reached after the jury returned a verdict on June 13 that none of JVL's current line of popular countertop videogame machines infringes any Merit patent, and awarded damages of approximately $1.6 million for infringement by JVL's past products, all of which were discontinued by 2006," a statement by JVL said. The final terms of the agreement are confidential, according to JVL.
"We are pleased that this dispute is now behind us," said JVL CEO Peter Guterres, whose factory recently debuted the new Encore HD touchscreen game machine that will offer streaming music in the near future, too.
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In recent issues of RePlay Magazine, we have reported that Barfly, the interactive advertising network acquired by TouchTunes, has "signed exclusive advertising and content development deals with leaders in the beer, wine and spirits industry, including Anheuser-Busch, Diageo and Skyy."
While Barfly is working on advertising and content deals with a number of companies that will be exclusive to its network, RePlay did not mean to imply or suggest that those brands will work only with the Barfly network on interactive, out-of-home advertising programs.
"We are the only company with a deal in place with those brands right now," explained a Barfly spokesman. "That may change in the future, but it hasn't yet." RePlay regrets any confusion this may have caused our readers.
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Pyramid Launches Rebate Program
Pyramid Technologies is offering a $7 rebate to all operators for every Apex bill acceptor they purchase through December 30. "This rebate program is intended as a way of thanking our customers who have helped make 2008 an outstanding year for us," said David Mays, president and CEO of Pyramid. "For those who might not have tried a Pyramid product yet, we hope they will use this rebate opportunity to try our Apex acceptor and see the quality that is built into every product we manufacture."
To purchase any of Pyramid's products, visit your local distributor or contact Pyramid's customer service team at 480/507-0088 for a distributor near you. To obtain the rebate form or more information, go to www.pyramidacceptors.com/rebate.
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Andamiro USA informed us that we recently published incorrect contact information for the game supplier's main U.S. office. To set the record straight, Andamiro can be reached at 17230 S. Main St., Gardena, CA 90248; 310-767-5800; fax 310-767-5805. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our readers or Andamiro.
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LAI Games Cracks Down On Counterfeits In China
LAI Games is continuing its fight to protect copyright and intellectual property rights of their popular prize vending game Stacker. On Nov. 6, the Chinese Copyright Authorities in conjunction with LAI and its law firm Baker & McKenzie conducted a successful raid on the factory of Macrown Electronic Development Co, Ltd. under Chinese copyright law, confiscating an entire production line of games that allegedly infringe on Stacker's copyright.
Alan Freimuth, CEO of LAI, said: "At this stage we know that the offending games have been sold into the market as Pile Up, Aces High, Go Up and Chase the Ace; we suspect they have also been sold under other names but won't know further details until the Copyright Bureau has sifted through all documents. The Chinese Copyright Bureau that organized the raid has been very understanding and sympathetic to our case.We see this raid as just one of the steps to defend our copyrights and we'll continue to pursue companies that manufacture, import, distribute or operate copies of our games."
For more information about LAI, visit www.laigames.com.
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The son and namesake of industry pioneer Joe Westerhaus Sr. (Pioneer Vending) and the man who ran Royal Distributing in Cincinnati for many years has died. Joe Jr., who shut the doors on his distributing company to concentrate on operating way back in the mid-90s, was remembered by family and friends on Nov. 8 at the Dalbert, Woodruff and Isenogle Funeral Home. He was buried at Arlington Memorial Gardens in the Cincinnati suburb of Mt. Healthy.
Joe Jr., who was 70 when he passed away, joined Pioneer Vending right after graduation from Northwestern University in Chicago. Sometime in the early '60s, he bought Royal (which was both a Wurlitzer distributorship as well as a route operation) from his father. As mentioned, he turned away from distributing, devoted his time to the route and retired around the end of the last decade.
The late distributor's son Joe and best friend Jack Murdock both eulogized him at the funeral service, recalling his jokes and his fishing stories. "My brother knew no strangers and had no enemies, and that was evident on Saturday," said Bill Westerhaus.
He is survived by his wife Nancy, daughter Becky, son Joe (yes, the name carries on), brothers Bill and Terry and sister Nancy Baxter. May he rest in peace.
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Stan Larsen, the popular sales exec who spent his entire 45-year coin-op career with Struve Distributing, died Nov. 3 of bone cancer. He was 74. Until recent months, Stan was still working with some of the company's customers, including several of his oldest friends.
Stan originally came to Struve with a law degree he'd earned at the University of Utah. Run in those days by its founder/owner Pres Struve, the Salt Lake City company sent him down to manage its Los Angeles office for several years until it was sold back to Seeburg's Bud Lurie in the early '70s. Struve also maintained a branch in Denver for a while as well.
Stan returned to Salt Lake headquarters where he managed the firm until his semi-retirement in 2003. His brother Kent, also a veteran salesman with the company, took his place as manager.
"During those 40-some-odd years we worked together, we never had a dispute," said Kent. "He was the big brother everyone would have wanted. All the people in the industry who knew us were aware of how close we were."
Stan Larsen is survived by his wife Jackie, daughter Linda, sons Brent and David and four grandchildren. The funeral was held Nov. 8 at the Valley View Ward LDS church. At the service Larsen was eulogized by his daughter Linda and brother Kent. The local Mormon bishop also spoke about him. Apart from family and friends, the service was attended by some of the late salesman's coin-op customers, including locals like Craig Johnson, Alan Chambers and Rob Hoonaker, Montana operators Jeff Flatness, Sid Longhough, Chris Warren and Dave Weighlander, as well as Jeff George from Wyoming. May he rest in God's peace.
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Virgil Vance, founder of Van Brook of Lexington, passed away in Lexington, Ky., on October 29. He was 74 years old. He is survived by his son Randolph.
Virgil Vance was a veteran in the token business with over 45 years of experience. He founded Van Brook of Lexington in 1962. In 1991, Virgil Vance created CT high-security bi-metallic control tokens followed by the addition of CTX electronic security tokens in 1993. These tokens revolutionized vending, carwash and other industries.
Virgil's knowledge of electronics and electronic applications prompted him to pen a number of articles as the Token King. Virgil was proud of his customers and enjoyed his affiliations and friendships in the many fields where tokens are used. Virgil liked learning and was the first to say: "We learn new things every day from our customers and how they are using tokens for promotions and specialized applications."
Virgil had three favorite quotations, including one from Winston Churchill, "If you think you are going through hell just keep on going;" a second from Mark Twain, "I never let my education get in the way of my learning;" and the last from Will Rogers, "Remember that the expert is the guy from out of town."
In 2006, Van Brook of Lexington became an operating division of Osborne Coinage Company of Cincinnati. Established in 1835, they claim to be the world's largest private minting facility.
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MEI's New 4-in-1 Validator Debuts
MEI has launched its Series 2000 4-in-1 validator to accept cash, card, contactless payments and coupons in a single unit that can retrofit into operators' installed base of machines.
The 4-in-1 validator is the first electronic payment system that combines all major types of payment acceptance into a single device, claims its maker. Consumers can choose to pay with cash, traditional swipe credit/debit cards, MEI coupons or contactless payment devices. Contactless payment usage is growing with Aberdeen Research Group estimating that by 2011 there will be 109 million contactless cards in the U.S. market.
"Payment preference is difficult to predict, and it varies widely among people, types of purchases, geographies and even time of day," said Chuck Reed, vending channel marketing director for MEI. "Offering multiple options keeps customers from walking away from a sale and attracts sales previously lost to c-stores. The MEI 4-in-1 validator provides an economic means of doing just that."
The product has received accolades from beta test customers for its modern styling and bright LEDs that help attract buyers to the machine.
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Coast to Coast Ships Build A Brick
Coast to Coast Entertainment is now shipping their new merchandise game, Build A Brick. Factory toppers say the piece has gone through a number of changes since it was first debuted, including the introduction of a new color scheme and enhanced software. The object of the game is to build bricks on the game playfield, all in quest for the big prize payoff.
Game features include an all metal heavy duty cabinet, metals hasps on all doors including the prize area, an optional bill acceptor that can hold up to 1,000 bills, percentaging up to 2,500, dual coin mechs, handles on the back of the game for easy movement, voice assisted game play with a modern soundtrack, easy to read bookkeeping and programming menus and one-year warranty on the unit's main computer and power supply.
"Most important, the game is priced for a lot less than the competition," interjected Coast to Coast honcho Gary Balaban. To learn more, go to www.crainmachines.com.
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A federal judge has entered a final order in the longstanding case by advocates of the blind against the U.S. Treasury, reports AMOA. The lawsuit affirmed by a trial judge and appeals court claims that current U.S. currency discriminates against the blind.
"The (final) order requires the Treasury Department to redesign currency only as the Treasury determines to redesign each denomination of currency in the future," explained AMOA president Russ Mawdsley. "Furthermore, the order specifically excludes the $1 bill from any required redesign, as well as the redesign of the $100 currently being implemented.
"Although it is doubtful that the Treasury Department will appeal this order, we will continue to monitor this issue closely and will voice our objections to any change in currency that would result in major costly changes to our currency accepting equipment," Mawdsley concluded.
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U.S. Mint Promotes Dollar Coin with Ads
The U.S. Mint concluded an advertising push last month of our U.S. cities to help promote use of the presidential dollar coin, making the case that the coins save taxpayer money by lasting longer than paper bills.
Cities targeted for the campaign included Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Grand Rapids, Mich., and Portland, Ore. The campaign utilized television and radio advertising, as well as promotional posters, special events and additional coins circulated at retailers in those areas.
"Coins will last about 30 years before they get too beat-up to use and are recycled -- as opposed to a dollar bill, which lasts about one and a half years and then gets destroyed," reported the Dallas Morning News in a story about the campaign. "The U.S. Mint estimates that switching to the coin would save the government $522 million a year. Americans have been slow to use previous coins."
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Hayes Looks To Put Nova's Game on U.S. Map
Kevin Hayes, formerly with Namco and Atari, will spearhead sales of Nova Productions' new PokerKard Texas Hold 'Em game in the U.S. and Canada.
PokerKard officially launched at Preview 2009 in London earlier this month. The game is a one to four-player video featuring Texas Hold 'Em poker where the aim is for players to participate purely for the social interaction of the game. Wins are stored as points alongside the player's identity and star rating on a card that is unique to each customer.
Hayes, a longstanding veteran of the U.S. trade, explained: "I've known the principals of Nova Productions, Peter Robinson and David Jones, for over 20 years and have always admired their creativity and passion for coin-op. PokerKard is the culmination of their 60-plus years of experience in the business and is the most exciting product to be introduced for the bar market in years. I am confident that this is going to be a new staple for this sector. We plan to show PokerKard at IAAPA in Orlando next month and roll it out, with a partner, in early 2009 in the U.S. and Canada."
Kevin Hayes can be reached at 408/768-5187; email hayes@ymail.com.
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AMOA Moves Forward With Website Program
Following on the heels of its exciting introduction at International Expo this fall, AMOA is continuing to encourage operators to sign up for its new website program, which is being offered by former association president turned website developer Jim Pietrangelo (pictured).
"It's really quite amazing," said Jim. "What we've managed to do is provide AMOA members with an opportunity to have a website created for their company in just a fraction of the time, and at just a fraction of the cost, that it would take were they to contract for the same service on an individual basis. I can't imagine, given today's economy and overall business climate, how any serious business owner would not jump at such an offer.
Pientrangelo went on to urge AMOA members to find out more about this program by calling AMOA direct at (800) 937-2662 or him direct at (540) 409-4354. "I'll help them get started," Jim concluded. "Over and above the AMOA work, my company, WebCamp One works with businesses to define their online presence, create their website, and even perform the search engine optimization procedures needed to help move them up in the search rankings."
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Fantasy Entertainment's Eventure was nominated for the "Best New Product" award at the 25th Annual PDN PhotoPlus International Conference and Expo, held in late October at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York, N.Y. "We're honored to have the Eventure portable booth recognized at such a prestigious industry event," said Dale Valvo, Fantasy Entertainment's president and CEO. "It's a testament to the commitment and dedication we have made to our customers and their clients." The Eventure Portable Photo Booth is designed with a sleek, modern look and feel that's appropriate for both formal and informal settings. Two heavy-duty road cases make it ultra-portable and road-worthy, and it's easy and quick to set-up and teardown (approx. 20 minutes or less).
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Merit & USA Technologies Offer Cashless Convenience
USA Technologies, Inc. and Merit announced an agreement where the game maker will install USA Technologies' ePort software in thousands of its new Megatouch touchscreen entertainment systems.
Merit selected the ePort software and ePort Connect services to help give Megatouch players the ability to pay with debit or credit cards. USA Technologies' ePort Connect is a cashless payment solution available for unattended point-of-sale terminals, kiosks and vending machines.
Merit will install the ePort cashless transaction software in all new domestic Megatouch products manufactured over the next three years. USA Technologies will act as the exclusive provider to Merit of card processing and credit-debit card data services.
"Our mission is to give customers the most enjoyable playing experience by delivering the best games, software, hardware, service, and support. With ePort Connect, Merit will give players the added ease and convenience of being able to use their credit or debit card to purchase credits on the Megatouch," said Merit marketing topper Colin Higbie. "For operators, the ePort Connect cashless payment system means greater efficiency, improved reliability over coin and bill-only systems, and the preferred means of payment among our younger generation of customers, all of which work together to increase revenue, lower service costs, and increase overall ROI."
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The 36th edition of the ENADA International Amusement & Gaming Machine Show, held at Fiera di Roma, hosted 200 exhibitors at this year's show. The SAPAR show, Italy's key national coin-op trade association, was organized by Rimini Fiera with the sponsorship of AAMS. ENADA ROMA 2008 was visited by 11,234 trade members (6% more than 2007), of whom 1,149 were from abroad (a 12.5% rise).
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Trade Vet Brashear Promoting Game Rentals
Industry veteran Eric Brashear, founder and CEO of Amusement Game Rentals in Las Vegas, is offering consulting services for operators who also want to cash in on the business of renting games for special events. Brashear's firm caters to some 700 high-end corporate events from coast to coast each year.
Now Brasher says he can help train other operators (not in Las Vegas, of course) how to use most of their existing inventory to earn an impressive return on investment. Some examples of AGR's wholesale daily rates are Top Skater at $1,200.00, Alpine Surfer at $1,200.00, Hydro Thunder at $600.00 and Cruisin' Exotica at $600, just to name a few.
"Not every operator in every market is a candidate for our services," Brashear says. "But most operators in metropolitan areas would definitely benefit."
The program includes an initial evaluation of the operator's current inventory and his current market conditions, customer identification within that market, hands-on training at the operator's office, creation of a game rental website, 16-page brochure, business cards, marketing materials, and sales tools. Brashear will even go out and do your first few sales presentations with you observing.
Brashear, a 24-year industry veteran, launched his career as production manager for Wedges/Ledges' popular Challenger crane game. Two decades of street operations followed. He rented his first unit, a basketball toss game, way back in 1988, for which he was paid $1,000.00 for a single night's use. "I was hooked," he said.
He relocated to Vegas in 2004 and founded AGR. The company has grown a minimum of 50% annually. "Over the years I have given advice to friends in the coin-op industry to get them started in events, but the demand for my expertise has reached a level where it was clearly time to formalize these arrangements and make them more widely available," said Brashear. "We have developed a system for marketing game rentals in our own company that is truly innovative and extremely successful. We are now offering that system to other operators."
For more information on the program, email Eric Brashear at Eric@AGRLasVegas.com.
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Coinstar Reports Solid Results
Coinstar Inc., parent company of the amusement route known to most in the trade as Sugarloaf, recently announced results for the three month period ending on September 30. Despite tough economic conditions, Coinstar execs said the company showed resilience. The company also experienced a significant increase in operating costs. Thus, the end result was a net income of $4.51 million, down from $9.07 million during the same period last year. Revenues totaled $240.50 million, up 67.8% from $143.29 million in the same quarter a year ago.
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AMI Pre-Releases Sammy Hagar Album
AMI Entertainment pre-released Sammy Hagar's new album, Cosmic Universal Fasion, on November 11 to its network of over 12,000 digital jukeboxes. The album was featured on jukebox screens in thousands of clubs and bars via video loops and banner ads for a full month, starting November 11th. AMI also ran pop-up boxes on screen, prompting customers to enter email addresses in exchange for chances to win signed copies of the album. To celebrate the launch of this partnership there was also a special listening party at the Horseshoe Tavern in San Francisco.
Cosmic Universal Fashion marks the first official release for Loud & Proud Records, a Roadrunner Records imprint focusing on established artists. The title track and first single, Cosmic Universal Fasion, was written as an online collaboration between Hagar and a young Iraqi rock and roller by the name of Steven Lost. Released via Sammy's website RedRocker.com and already a YouTube sensation, the video was produced in the same spirit as the classic Van Halen video for Right Now.
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TouchTunes Offers Preview of Hinder Record
TouchTunes gave bargoers a late October special sneak preview of Take It To The Limit, the highly anticipated new album by Hinder (Universal/Republic Records), that began shipping to retail on Nov. 4. "Hinder is a bar favorite on TouchTunes jukeboxes," said Ron Greenberg, CMO, TouchTunes. "Halloween weekend always attracts huge crowds in TouchTunes locations and we're very excited to offer our patrons this early opportunity to hear Take It To The Limit before its release date."
Take It To The Limit was produced by Brian Howes, and features the cutting edge lead single Use Me. The single is already making waves on radio by being the No. 1 most-added on alternative radio for two consecutive weeks in a row. Hinder is Austin Winkler (vocals), Mark King (guitar), Joe 'Blower' Garvey (guitar), Mike Rodden (bass), Cody Hanson (drums). The raucous Oklahoma fivesome are largely credited with reviving the 'live fast -- play hard' work ethic embodied by many of rock's seminal 1970s bands.
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Ryan Adams & Cardinals Debut On Touchtunes
The new album Cardinology (Universal Music/Lost Highway) by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals became available on TouchTunes digital jukeboxes in advance of its October 28 release in stores.
"TouchTunes is very proud to partner with Lost Highway to help launch Cardinology," said Vicki Saunders, VP of digital media/music marketing, TouchTunes. "We are experts in creating the perfect social setting for friends to gather together and listen to music, and research shows that our customers are big influencers on what is played for the entire bar to hear. That is a powerful tool for marketing new music."
The Cardinals, including Ryan Adams (vocals, guitar, keys), Neal Casal (guitar, vocals), Chris Feinstein (bass, vocals), Jon Graboff (pedal steel, vocals) and Brad Pemberton (drums), recorded Cardinology at New York's Electric Lady Studios (right down the street from TouchTunes' offices).
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The National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) has expanded its Ethics Campaign with a downloadable Tool Kit designed to help operators who conduct business honestly and ethically, NAMA president and CEO Richard Geerdes announced today. The Tool Kit includes a host of materials operators can use internally and share with accounts, and is available at www.vending.org.
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Betson Enterprises' Rick Kirby will be relocating to Betson New England in the capacity of executive vice president. Bob Geschine, president of H. Betti Industries, explained: "Ricky will be maintaining certain corporate responsibilities, including his position on the company's executive board but will be focusing on our recommitment to the New England marketplace. Throughout the '80s and '90s, our New England office had been the flagship of Betson offices under Rick's leadership. We are expecting a very strong year in New England with Rick's direct involvement and with the incredible lineup of video products that we are launching in 2009."
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Stern Pinball has appointed Pat Powers as its new head of technical service. Pat has been with Stern since 2003 and is highly versed in all Data East Pinball, Sega Pinball and Stern Pinball games. Before he joined Stern, Pat came with 19 years of experience from both coin-op and consumer product support, having been with some of the largest service organizations in both industries (Bally's Aladdin's Castle, Montgomery Ward Product Service and Namco Cybertainment). Pat can be reached at 800/KICKERS and by email at part.service@sternpinball.com.
Dorothy Brown will continue to handle Stern's parts department. She can be reached at 708/786-7040 or by email at dorothy.brown@sternpinball.com. The hours of operation for Stern's technical service department will be noon through 4 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday.
Longtime director Joe Blackwell has moved on to the operator side of coin-op, taking on a management role at a Chicago area FEC.
"We are very happy to have an expert like Pat Powers now running our service department," said factory president Gary Stern. "Stern continues to be committed to the highest level of service for all of our game owners, operators and distributors. Also, we want to thank Joe Blackwell for all of his great years at Stern and wish him all the best in his new venture in operating."
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Wayne Koklys has joined the sales team of AMI Entertainment and Rowe International. Wayne will oversee the sales of AMI-powered jukeboxes throughout the western region of the United States. In his new role, he will be responsible for account development and driving sales for AMI Entertainment. He will report to John Margold, senior VP of sales and marketing of both AMI and Rowe.
Wayne has spent over 20 years in sales; he joins AMI and Rowe from Pan American Laboratories, where he was a pharmaceutical sales representative. Prior to Pan American, Wayne held several key sales positions for Pepsi Cola. His diverse background also includes a stint as a professional baseball player for the Atlanta Braves.
He can be reached by phone at 616/295-1848; email wkoklys@roweinternational.com.
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Fun Express recently announced the promotion of Cris Millar to Redemption Business Development Manager. Cris has been with Fun Express since 1992. He is a key member of the redemption team, and he will continue to manage the relationship of several large customers. In addition to that, Cris will also be responsible driving priority initiatives for the redemption market including expanding the distribution of Digital Packing Lists and providing ticket values on merchandise. Cris' responsibilities also include training, promoting strategic partnerships within the industry and leveraging his 15 years of industry experience by providing Fun Express customers with valuable consulting services, including helping FECs prepare for the impact of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 on their business.
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Vaughn Williamson, industry veteran of 30 years, most recently at Rowe International as national training manager and regional sales manager, is offering consulting services and seeking opportunities within the industry. He can be reached at (801) 589-1712 or email vcwilliamson@gmail.com.
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PokerTek Offers Heads-Up Software; Gets TV Spotlight
PokerTek has released its anticipated 2.0 software upgrade for Heads-Up Challenge. The latest additions include variable chip stack starting amounts in 10, 20, and 40 thousand increments and a 10,000 chip add-on feature. Once players reach a certain level in the match, the add-on feature allows them to continue play by adding more chips for an operator-configured price. The initial price per play is also configurable based on the chip stack level selected by the players.
To create more visibility in a crowded establishment, PokerTek's monitor kit, which includes signage, a customized stand, all electrical connectors, and hardware, can be purchased separately. The 2.0 software supports and is required for the monitor kit. The attract mode graphics displayed on the overhead monitor are more visually appealing and draw curious players to the table.
"Operators appreciate that they can offer a variety of game play options for their customers while having the ability to reasonably configure prices," said Len Keywood of Starburst Coin, a PokerTek distributor. "The players enjoy the additional features while the operators increase their revenue. It's a classic win-win."
PokerTek president James Crawford added: "Our 2.0 software gives operators more tools to increase the cashbox and allows players more flexibility to choose a Texas Hold'em tournament format that fits them best."
In other news, PokerTek was highlighted on a segment of CNBC's Mike on America. Hosted by special features reporter Mike Hegedus, Mike on America spotlights innovative and enterprising U.S. companies. The feature covered PokerTek's two product lines, PokerPro and Heads-Up Challenge. The piece will be available for repeat viewing on CNBC.com. "We're delighted to be part of Mike on America," said Chris Halligan, CEO of PokerTek. "We have unique and exciting products, and we're glad they are getting more attention in the market."
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U-Profit Cancels Pre-IAAPA Event
Business conference organizer Bill Carlson canceled last month's U-Profit Amusement and Entertainment Business Success educational session, which had been scheduled to take place in Orlando, November 16-17, on the eve of the IAAPA show.
The event was slated to include a number of well-known industry speakers, including Carlson, Howard Ellman (Dynamic Designs and Architecture), Mike Fleming (Mountasia), Frank Seninsky (Amusement Entertainment Management) and Beth Standlee (TrainerTainment). They were to cover a wide range of topics, but Carlson decided to pull the plug after IAAPA organizers raised concerns about the event.
In a letter to IAAPA exhibitors, IAAPA CEO Charles Bray said the event constituted out-boarding, an unsanctioned marketing effort that intends to piggyback on another, already established event. "This practice is considered unethical," Bray wrote.
Representatives of U-Profit said they had communicated their plans with IAAPA and even changed venues to accommodate the parks show's request. Carlson reports that he will re-stage the event sometime in 2009.
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LAI Games has partnered with Firestone Financial to offer a 5.99% APR program on Super Strike, the factory's bowling-based redemption game.
The three-month promotion will run from October 22 through December 31. Customers will receive terms of 5.99% APR for 30 months and a 5% down payment is required. A minimum of two units must be purchased to qualify for financing. The first payment will be due 60 days after the contract has been funded. Customers will be responsible for a $200 filing fee, applicable taxes and freight charges. This LAI finance program is offered in the U.S. through distribution in conjuncture with Firestone. Details can be obtained from any participating distributor or by calling LAI at 888/211-6370. For finance information, contact Firestone's inside sales department at 800/851-1001 or visit www.firestonefinancial.com/programs. This promotion cannot be combined with any other LAI offers or discounts.
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Merit Entertainment recently announced two new finance programs in conjunction with Firestone Financial, including a 0% option on qualifying purchases between November 3 and December 31.
The first program offers operators 0%, 12-month finance terms on the purchase of Aurora, e.V.o, Edge, Fusion, Wallette or Entertainer units. Operators may also take advantage of 4.99%, 18-month financing with 90 days of no pay on the same Merit products. Both programs require the purchase of at least three units, and Aurora Widescreen is not included in these deals. Please contact your local distributor for more details.
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