The big news for coin-op at the recent CES show in Las Vegas was the appearance of a newish brand of jukebox offering full floor models that play CDs in some cases, 45s in others. They also bowed a smashing new Sgt. Pepper phonograph licensed from the Beatles’ Apple organization. Presenting it were its manufacturer (and U.K. heavyweight) Chris Black of Sound Leisure and his exclusive U.S. and Canada dealer Scott Bingaman of Deer Park Distributors. The Sgt. Pepper juke should be on sale by late March and will join four other models already on the market through Bingaman and…
Author: Casey Minter
The continually growing conglomeration of companies that is Helix Leisure (HL) has snapped up another partner to help solidify its offerings in the Asia-Pacific region. Booking Boss, the acquired company, is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, and provides online booking, ticketing and POS solutions. Founders Renee and Andy Welsh will continue to run the company. “We’re delighted to join the Helix Leisure team,” said Booking Boss CEO Renee Welsh. “Their industry leading experience, company culture and global reach is going to take us to exciting new industries and drive the future of the out-of-home entertainment industry.” The acquisition was completed in…
Brand Vending Products LLC recently announced an exclusive North American distributorship of the Tubz line of bulk tower vendors. Tubz Toy Towers can be found in over 100,000 locations throughout Europe, and Brand Vending expects the market in North America to be just as inviting. “We’re very excited to once again bring the first ever of its kind Tubz Toys and the Tubz machine to the North American market. Products like these have helped keep Brand Vending in the forefront of the industry. This machine is all about innovation, accessibility, selection, and style,” said Brand Vending CEO Scott Jochim. Tubz…
The old AMF Bowlero Lanes, (a longtime Milwaukee-area bowling center) has been rebranded and undergone a major overhaul, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal. Now called Bowlero Wauwatosa, the 55,000 sq.ft. center recently got a $1 million-plus “retro-chic” facelift that included a new arcade area. Hi-def video walls at the end of the bowling lanes, plush lounge seating and new bar areas add to the appeal, not to mention a new exterior color scheme and paint job, new flooring and an added event space for parties and corporate events. The new Bowlero Wauwatosa makes its grand opening on Saturday, Jan.…
Adventure Park USA of Monrovia, Md., kicks off a virtual reality attraction at its FEC today (Friday, Jan. 12.) The Baltimore Business Journal reports that Hologate Virtual Reality will bring a fully immersive experience to the park, where players can “move about in the virtual world just as they are in the physical world. Hologate VR, based in Germany, uses the HTC Vive headset to allow players in the four-person target game battle an array of minions, robots, dragons and more. They can select to play against one another or as a team. Adventure Park USA’s attractions already include a…
Stern Pinball is in Las Vegas right now at the massive Consumer Electronics Show (CES), exhibiting its expertise in pins and building off the honor of being chosen by USA Today as one of the top five showstoppers of last year’s show. Along with physical pins, Stern is showcasing its Stern Pinball Arcade, the company’s latest digital offering for smart phones and beyond. “CES is a great opportunity to get both our latest pinball machines like Guardians of the Galaxy and our digital pinball arcade in front of eager tech and gaming enthusiasts,” said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of…
Sega Puts on a Show at EAG Along with many others in the industry, folks from Sega Amusements International are headed to London Jan. 16-18 for the annual EAG International Expo. The company hopes to build off what they call a “superb” IAAPA Expo, and is confident that EAG will kick off what’s a spectacular 2018. Sega plans to showcase Hoopla, the company’s latest carnival-themed redemption game developed with ICE, on top of many other pieces of their own and those they rep in Europe. In the ticket category, Sega will show Wheel of Fortune, Pirate Falls, Zombie Snatcher, Maze…
Payment technology just got a lot more interesting. During the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Visa and Dynamics Inc. rolled out the “Wallet Card.” The new card features more than 200 internal components packed into a device the same size and shape as a standard debit or credit card. Compatible with existing merchant readers, the card offers an abundance of features that put it in direct competition with smartphone payment systems. Described by the company as a “full telecommunications platform,” the card incorporates: A cell phone chip and antenna that allows data to be transferred between the…
This year’s IAAPA Expo had plenty of new equipment for operators to see and test, and one that had many abuzz was Andamiro’s SpongeBob Soccer Stars game. The piece utilizes the same lever-driven launcher that was used in their Baseball Pro series, but adds the twist of soccer to the traditional “pitch-and-bat” concept. Similar games have been around since the 1950s, but Andamiro had success with Baseball Pro and believes adding in the world’s most popular sport and a massive license like SpongeBob will only help with sales. “As we proved with Baseball Pro, players love to be in control…
Tickets are on sale for AMOA’s annual raffle supporting its Wayne E. Hesch Scholarship Program, a well-utilized and celebrated scholarship that has awarded more than $1.2 million in college funds to driven students with a connection to the industry. Nearly all the funding for these many scholarships comes from the raffle, which is held at the annual AAMA/AMOA Amusement Expo at the end of February this year. Winners don’t need to be at the Expo to claim their prize, so even if you can’t make it to Vegas this year, it’s worth supporting a good cause. Tickets are $25 each,…