Author: Casey Minter

Clearfield, Utah, has been treated to a brand new FEC concept in G4 Complete Entertainment (G4CE). The premium FEC opened its first location there, operating on the Semnox Parafait venue management platform, which covers the 100,000+ sq. ft. of entertainment, bowling, laser tag, go-karts, arcade games, mini-golf, eateries and more. POS, self-service kiosks, tap-to-play debit card systems for the arcade, redemption and inventory management, party reservation software and loyalty management are just some of the services Semnox provided. “We spent a lot of time searching for the right solution for our needs. The great thing about Semnox is that it…

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Attendees of the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week were treated to a new look at UNIS’ Atari Pong tables. The crowd got the chance to see what the crowds at IAAPA saw last November in their most updated forms: The Atari Pong Cocktail and Arcade tables. These two products run the gamut of diverse needs for the home and location markets. The company proudly displayed the product at last year’s CES as well, after partnering with Calinfer to bring it to market. The two new versions of the game are radically different, more focused toward our industry with…

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Stern is throwing it back for its first new pin of 2019, reviving the hit American sitcom, The Munsters, as the license of its upcoming pin. The game transports players to 1313 Mockingbird Lane to join the entire Munster family for a haunting pinball adventure and as per Stern’s style, the game will come in three tiers: Pro, Premium and Limited Edition. “The Munsters are iconic and timeless, and it was time to create a pinball experience around this freaky-fun family. With beautiful artwork inspired by the supernatural family, this theme is perfect for a pinball machine,” said Gary Stern,…

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RePlay has just learned of the death of veteran distributor Jerry Grotjan on Jan. 6 at the age of 82. He passed away at home. Services will be held Friday, Jan. 11, at noon at St. Boniface Catholic Church (1750 Chase Ave., Cincinatti, OH 45223). Family and friends will be received from 10 a.m. until the beginning of Mass. Interment will take place immediately following at St. Mary Cemetery. Jerry was well-known and -liked, starting his career back in 1964 at Royal Distributing’s Cincinnati office and then on with Monroe, Atlas and finally Shaffer where he worked until retirement. RePlay…

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Applications for AMOA’s Hesch Scholarship are due Feb. 13, so be sure remind the college-goers in your life to sign up! The scholarship, named in memory of former AMOA president Wayne E. Hesch, provides funds to college-bound students who have a connection to the coin-op industry, whether that’s an uncle, a mom, a sister or themselves. Learn more by contacting AMOA’s Laura Kasch at 800-937-2662 or find the form to fill out here.

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Shots rang out just before midnight Friday, Jan. 5, in the suburban Los Angeles city of Torrance at the area’s well-liked bowling and fun center, Gable House Bowl, leaving three dead and four hospitalized. The facts surrounding the shooting remain under investigation, and suspect(s) at large, but eyewitness reports indicate women started fighting, men joined in the brawl and finally it escalated into a fatal altercation when gunfire erupted. As reported in the Daily Breeze, the bowling center had six security guards working at the time, the usual for busy Friday and Saturday nights, and they also do bag checks…

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Call it a “bank in a box.” ATM industry newcomer, Anytime Cash, is just finishing up beta testing of its full financial services unit. Built out from a GenMega kiosk, the new Anytime Cash unit features a host of services, including check cashing; dispensing and loading of pre-paid debit cards; mobile phone “top offs;” gift card exchanges; and, of course, all the standard ATM features. All of this in a space-thrifty unit that measures 65” H by 18” W by 23” D. “Our goal has always been to become the first bank for the unbanked and under-banked customer,” said Anytime…

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Harry Levy Amusements, the prominent U.K. game manufacturer and distributor, has announced a new deal with the makers of The Virtual Arcade Cabinet to distribute the VR game Beat Saber. The new game is similar in look to a traditional arcade cabinet, and the Harry Levy says a single machine can go from shipping pallet to fully operational in 30 minutes. According to Harry Levy, the game has a footprint of 30 sq. ft., and has been optimized for throughput, uptime and ROI. “Beat Saber burst on the scene in mid-2018 and instantly became a music/rhythm phenomenon,” said Matthew Deith,…

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Lasertron has announced that its next conference is just weeks away, set for Jan. 29-30 in Rochester, N.Y. The company’s conferences give multiple opportunities for operators to learn about their product and laser tag in general. Attendees experience two multi-level LED-enhanced arenas, two Cyber Sport courts, a successful sports bar in the area and more. As far as education, the conference provides detailed info on leading-edge ideas and developments within their own laser tag centers. For more information and to attend, contact Ann (305-257-3930) or Greg (716-748-6430). Learn more about Lasertron at www.laser-tron.com.

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RePlay columnist and VR pro Bob Cooney will be hosting a series of live webinars covering location-based VR (LBVR). Every Friday at 1 p.m. Eastern, Cooney (the man Hologate’s Leif Petersen has called the “Gordon Ramsay of VR” because he “cuts through the BS and gets to the truth), will explore making money in LBVR with some of the industry’s other thinkers. Kicking it off today as his first guest is well-known industry consultant and writer Kevin Williams. “Join me each week, with a few special editions thrown in, as I explore the ‘business’ of virtual reality,” Cooney said. “Every…

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