The National ATM Council, Inc. (NAC) has declared 2019 “The Year of the ATM in America,” 50 years after the first U.S. ATM was installed. The landmark cash-dispensing terminal, situated on the wall of a Chemical Bank branch in Rockville Centre, New York, went live Sept. 2, 1969. Newspaper ads from Chemical read, “On Sept. 2, our bank will open at 9:00 AM and never close again!” Largely viewed as a novelty at the time, few anticipated America’s financial services industry was entering an era in which round-the-clock access to cash would become the norm. Despite some initial technical challenges and…
Author: Casey Minter
After the recent passing of ICE Founder Ralph Coppola, his son Joe will take on the presidency of the company, committing to honoring the dedication and integrity with which his father ran the company and conducted his life. In making the announcement, Joe had much to say in appreciation of the outpouring of sympathy since Ralph’s untimely passing: “On behalf of the entire Coppola family, I would like to express my deepest and most sincere gratitude to everyone in this great industry who has reached out to give our family so much support following my father’s sudden death on December…
GameWorks has just penned a deal with SCCG Management to bring venue-based, peer-to-peer wagering eSports Lounges to casinos nationwide. The two companies hope to spread the love and passion for eSports (where players compete on PC- or console-based video games) to the casino, where traditional sports have always entertained and offered gamblers something great to bet on. Under the agreement, the companies will offer casino operators an opportunity to seamlessly introduce eSports to their guests, through competition and wagering. The new venue-based concept, Play by GameWorks, adds skill-based peer-to-peer wagering to a variety of popular PC and console games. “Esports,…
GameWorks announced last week that the 20-year-old company is radically shifting its focus from family-friendly traditional arcade gaming to the growing world of eSports. To complement their traditional arcade offerings, four additional sites will be putting in eSports Lounges. Additionally, by the first quarter of 2019 every GameWorks venue is to become fully equipped with new eSports Lounges. GameWorks hopes to bring in new gamers, from Millennials to teens to both group’s families. The Lounges have a modern and high-tech feel with an atmosphere meant to put players at ease, each equipped with 20-40 PCs and consoles and an extensive…
Amusement industry professionals from around the world descended upon London mid-January for the annual EAG/Visitor Attractions Expo. The event was held at the ExCel London Exhibition Center starting Tuesday, Jan. 15, and ending Thursday, Jan. 17. Additionally, for those interested in seeing the Euro side of the business, the International Association of Trampoline Parks (IATP) is readying for its upcoming show in Berlin. Sponsorship and Exhibitor registration for the IATP EU Conference and trade show opens Thursday, Jan 17, at 11:00 a.m. EST. Learn more about the IATP show, which is held May 19-21, at www.indoortrampolineparks.org.
AAMA has started its search for this year’s recipient of the $5,000 J. Richard Oltmann Scholarship, which rewards high school seniors who demonstrate exceptional academic and extracurricular records, and are connected to the industry. An AAMA member must sponsor their application for it to be considered. Check out the application page at bit.ly/2TRd23m, and be sure to have your applicant apply before March 15, 2019.
SpongeBob Pineapple Arcade is due for a brand new stock of collectible cards, with the company hoping it will keep your players dropping coins to gather them all. The game has been on the market for more than three years, and series two of the cards will include the same characters featured in the first set. They’ll have new poses, color themes and biographical snippets on the back. There are nine cards in each SpongeBob Pineapple Arcade collectible series. The cards are distributed around the playfield where the player attempts to knock them into the drop chute. A player can…
Pizza Ranch is Casper, Wyoming’s newest place to gather and Betson helped make it extra special. The company placed a horde of equipment to open a Fun Zone alongside the pizza parlor, which included the latest and greatest of amusement game offerings. Some of the games Betson placed were Ice Man, Power Drop Extreme, Grand Piano Keys, Spinner Frenzy, Willy Wonka, NBA Hoops, Skee Ball, Space Invaders Frenzy and more. The Fun Zone opened on Jan. 8 of this year and is almost 2,000 sq. ft.
Virtuix, developer of the well-known Omni VR treadmill and the recently released VR Arena, has officially announced its full dedication to growing eSports and VR. As reported in November by RePlay, the company is committing $50,000 to a prize pool for 2019 tournaments. The company got a boost recently as HTC and Hewlett-Packard announced they would be official prize providers for the 2019 Omniverse eSports tournament series. The tournament series offers weekly and monthly prize contests at locations in over 45 countries. Now, with HTC’s support, the monthly winner of this global contest will receive a full HTC Vive VR…
Betson Specialty Coin, the distribution chain’s northwest branch, is preparing to move from its long-held building in Milwaukie, Oregon. The building, located south of Portland, will be replaced by a larger, state-of-the-art facility in northern Portland at the border near Washington state during the month of April. In conjunction with the move, the company will consolidate its Kent, Wash., office into this new facility to serve the Oregon, Washington and Northwestern markets. They report that this will allow easy access to the freeways and allow quick trips to the Seattle and Portland markets for deliveries and service. The company’s Washington…