Later this month, Michael Pace, founder and chairman of Pace-O-Matic, will be lauded by the Amusement and Music Owners Association of New York as its 2023 Guest of Honor. The celebrations will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on April 24 at the organization’s favorite venue for their annual party, Ben and Jack’s Steakhouse in midtown Manhattan, NYC.
Association President Ken Goldberg (Emersid, “Our organization has had great, qualitative annual gala guests of honor. However, Michael Pace stands out as a leader among leaders. He is dynamic, innovative and courageous as he has exhibited through Pace-O-Matic.”
The association wrote, “Established in 2000, Pace-O-Matic develops, produces and licenses legally compliant games in many states. For almost five decades, he has been a groundbreaker and trailblazer in the coin-operated amusement and gaming industry. Known as the ‘father of the countertop video game,’ Pace is the trusted name behind some of the industry’s best-selling games. His notable career has enjoyed many accomplishments and milestones.”
Pace co-founded Digital Controls to manufacture and market coin-op video games. In 1980, the company developed Little Casino, which is regarded as the industry’s first – and trend-setting – countertop video game. In 1984, Pace launched Cowboy Casino with laser video disc technology. Establishing US Games, he developed Turbo 340 in 1989, a powerful bitmap graphics controller board, which he says went on to become the world’s most broadly used platform for game creation.
Said AMOA-NY, “In 1990, he invented the world’s first electronic pull tab, called Pot of Gold. This put Pace and US Games at the technological forefront of a new market. And In 1994, his Pot-O-Gold was the first game terminal installed in Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut.
“Through Pace-O-Matic, Mike Pace’s Dragon’s Ascent, combined with a variety of inventive, advance technology tools which support the operator, has captured the imagination of many electronic game sector leaders by way of its creativity, architecture, and business model. Pace, together with his talented team demonstrates the potential and excitement in the future of our industry,” the association wrote.
Last year, AMOA-NY honored LAI Games’ Chris Brady with entertainer Tracy Morgan as its “Jukebox Artist of the Year.” The comedian, motion picture and television star made his debut as a recording artist and a number of his new records were publicly introduced at the association’s gala. (Other past “Jukebox Artists of the Year” have included: Tommy James & The Shondells, The Ramones, The Dictators, BJ Thomas, The Stylistics, Tony Orlando, Judy Collins, Dionne Warwick and Peter, Paul & Mary.)
For ticket and souvenir video journal information, contact AMOA-NY Executive Director Danny Frank at dannyfrank@comcast.net (802-362-4034).