Over 63 folks representing 29 coin-op firms gathered for the Ohio Coin Machine Association’s 42nd Annual Membership Meeting this week. The group met on June 8 in the Bullpen Suite at the Columbus Clippers baseball stadium. OCMA president Mike Zappa (Lorain Music, Crestline) started the meeting, going on to introduce AMOA past prexy (and fellow Ohioan) Andy Shaffer who updated attendees on AMOA events. “The meeting went extremely well,” said OCMA EVP David Corey. “It’s always great to see a solid turnout, and everyone seemed to take away some important information as well as have a good time reconnecting.” Several…
Author: Casey Minter
VNEA has announced the passing of a major name in the pool world, Paul Huebler, at the age of 89. The “master cue maker” crafted custom pool cues for some of the world’s greatest players, and his untimely passing came just days before the VNEA’s two big annual events: The World Championships and the Annual International Junior Championships. His viewing will be Monday, June 13, at the St. George Catholic Church at 613 Main Street in Linn, Missouri 65061. At this time, no known memorials have been established. If you have any questions, contact Terry Bajorek at 501-454-9283; email: [email protected].
Arachnid’s BullShooter Finals happened over Memorial Day (May 26-30) at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, Ill., and initial reports heralded yet another successful and well-attended competition. The five-day dart battle brought in players from all over the world, including Canada, France, Spain and the Netherlands. Thursday hosted several early arrival games, while Friday held the prestigious Top Gun events. The latter came down to a hard-fought bout between Larry Butler and Eric Blackledge in the finals, and after four close games Eric clinched the title. Several fun events kept eliminated players entertained as well, including “A Bud Blind Draw”…
This year’s U.S. champions for 2017’s International Challenge have been chosen by the AMOA-NDA following an impressive performance at Team Dart 2016. The International Challenge highlights the best players from around the world at each Team Dart tournament. The players selected participated in the Masters event and had the highest performance scores at this year’s Team Dart. The 2017 team will be defending the title of International Champions, as 2016’s Men’s Team beat Germany in the final match. Women: Regular: Tricia Pluff; Carolyn Nessmann; Julie Weger; Holly Thompson. Alternates: Amy Borland; Wendy Espinoza; Heidi Raines; Lisa Yee. Men: Regular: Willard…
TouchTunes announced today (06/10) that they have acquired the music services provider Music Direction, providers of custom-branded background tunes for retail, restaurant and hospitality clients. TouchTunes says Music Direction’s specifically tailored music helps support clients’ brands and increase sales by improving customer satisfaction. “The acquisition of Music Direction is an exciting opportunity for TouchTunes as we continue to expand our portfolio of products and services and bring new opportunities to our business partners,” said Charles Goldstuck, TouchTunes Chairman and CEO. “I am also pleased to announce that Noel Steen, founder of Music Direction, will continue in his role as creative…
In the good ole’ days, two players could walk up to an arcade shooter, coin it up and blast away at zombies side-by-side. With a new deal from one of the biggest names in games and an innovative VR startup, that idea has been expanded to vast new proportions. Sega Live Creation along with a company called Zero Latency, have just agreed to launch a multi-player, free-roaming VR experience in the heart of Tokyo this summer. In a space the size of a basketball court at the Tokyo Joypolis amusement park, up to six players will be able to enjoy…
AMOA’s next Road Scholar Program will run from Oct. 21-23 this year at the Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel in Tempe, Az. This is the fourth year the association has hosted the educational event that’s designed to provide a quick, cost-effective weekend immersion on industry issues for operators, distributors and manufacturers. This year, the AMOA is offering a special deal for those who want to attend the Foundations Entertainment University program as well, which will actually run Oct. 18-20 in the same place. Do you think you or your employees might learn a few helpful things there? You bet! For more…
A curious group of kiddos crawled through the Jersey Jack Pinball factory yesterday (June 7) for a class trip focusing on the intricacies of the machines. The kids, from Gill St. Bernard’s School in Gladstone, N.J., came by for the factory tour and also were able to visit the nearby Silverball Museum in Asbury Park
A CBS radio report heard on June 8 said that a study of 150 jurisdictions in the country revealed that drunk driving arrests have gone down, and the thinking is that UBER and the other ride-sharing services have played a hand in the improvement. What it says between the lines is that these modern day cab services could be a boon to bar operators whose jukebox, pool and game play has been low due to customers doing their drinking at home rather than at the bar. We think it would be a great idea for operators to have their locations…
Betson Enterprises has hired Robert AbouJaoude on as a Senior Account Executive for their Imperial Parts and Service division. The company hopes he will help further develop customer relations and expand the portfolio of available parts and service contracts for their clients. “We are excited to welcome Robert to the Betson family,” said Richard Zayas-Bazan, VP of Imperial. “His expertise and knowledge of the space will be key as we welcome new clients and look to grow and enhance our solutions in the marketplace.” Robert brings over 17 years of sales, marketing and customer service experience to the organization. He…