Zelky’s is 40! Iconic Boardwalk Arcade Keeps the Fun Going by Matt Harding When industry veteran Chuck Weiner lost his position with Baltimore’s General Vending when the company closed down, he knew it was time to go into business for himself. In 1985, he opened Weiner Distrib­uting and the Rehoboth, Delaware, boardwalk outpost now known as Zelky’s Beach Arcade North (which was originally Dolle’s Arcade). “He utilized the arcade as a working showroom,” explained Matt Weiner, Chuck’s son and the general manager at Zelky’s. “He was able to fill the place with new equipment each season – from Memorial Day…

Bowling’s Best Supporting Cast Arcades and F&B Matter More Than Ever By Clint Novak, Business Development Manager, A&A Global Industries Remember the bowling alleys of yesterday? Fluorescent lights buzzing overhead, the ritual of finding rental shoes that mostly fit, and the culinary delights of greasy pizza and questionable fried snacks. It was … an experience. Recently, I visited a place like that, stuck in time. It wasn’t fun, it wasn’t modern and frankly, it wasn’t surprising when it closed its doors shortly after. That classic, standalone model just isn’t enough anymore. Today’s guests want a complete entertainment experience. For bowling…

My guess is that most people reading this are not only in the jukebox and games business, but folks who just might be curious about what makes people do what people do. I’m not talking about professionals like Dr. Skinner who sort of invented the behavioral sciences, but average folks often heard to say things like: “What the hell did you do that for?” or “I really love to travel, but I really don’t know why.” I’ve attended a lot of classes and seminars during my time on earth, and forget which was the one in which I heard that…

I’m never happy when the fingers of government start tinkering with the economy, believing the law of supply and demand does the job very nicely all by itself. My feeling goes back to the Great Depression when the government bought up apples and then threw them away to keep the price up for the apple sellers who sold them on the corners of our cities. This went on when millions of Americans were scratching to put food on the table. Those fingers have been busy again, playing on-again, off-again with the import duties commonly called tariffs. I’m writing this a…

Spring Show, Spring Fun Expo Hosts a Surprising Number of New Games by Adam Pratt, Arcade Galactic & ArcadeHeroes.com Spring has been in the air since we gathered as an industry in Las Vegas for Amuse­ment Expo 2025, and here’s my chance to dissect what went on and what this all means going into the summer. But first, let’s talk about what else is going on. As I write this, the talk of the town is tariffs and the resulting policy. I’m not one to panic, so I would make for a terrible Wall Street investor (or maybe I’m the…

S&B/STL Game Co.’s Innovative New Machine Combines Two Game Styles S&B Candy and Toy, and its sister company St. Louis Game Co., have a real winner on their hands – actually a two-time winner – with The Gateway. The patent-pending crane and cutter combo was honored with an AMOA Innovator Award and the association’s Operators’ Choice Award at Amusement Expo. What makes it special is its unique combination of two popular game styles – a claw and a cutter – side-by-side in one location-friendly sized cabinet. Company founder Brian Riggles said he got the idea for The Gateway about two and a…

Game On! Will Smart Operations Shape the Rest of 2025? by Nick DiMatteo, Pinnacle Entertainment Group The coin-op amusements industry has always been built on innovation, resilience and a relentless ability to adapt to changing market conditions. While U.S. sales have softened over the last few quarters, every time I leave Amusement Expo International, I feel a renewed sense of excitement. A fresh wave of new products, a few of which turned heads at the most recent show, will inject much-needed energy into game rooms everywhere. From cutting-edge VR titles and hybrid redemption games to clever twists on crane formats,…

Tips for Weathering the Storm by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com It’s around mid-April as I write this, and the last couple of weeks have been an uneasy rollercoaster on the world stage. With raging wars, financial markets in uncertainty and tariffs on and off and on again, how do you plan for the near and distant future? Let’s face it, the future is never easy to predict in the best of circumstances. Now, we have events and actions thrown at us that have completely unpredictable consequences. Do you hire more people or lay them off? Do you…

TrainerTainment Turns Twenty! Beth Standlee’s Biz Expanding in 2025 with New CEO, Branding From humble beginnings to being the FEC and amusement industry’s go-to for training, coaching and sales services, TrainerTainment founder Beth Standlee is celebrating 20 years of success stories this month. Recently, the company expanded their brand under an umbrella organization that’s called The GrowthGrow Group, which includes Trainer­Tainment with its focus on training and coaching, ExecPro Services and its executive consulting and leadership development core, and SalesPro Services, whose central purpose is to offer advanced sales training and strategies. Candi Kelley, who worked with Standlee for years…

From Family Fun to a Family Affair It’s Not All Fun and Games by Barry Zelickson From thrilling amusement park rides to an all-out rage room experience, our latest Fun Across America adventure takes us to two wildly different entertainment destinations: CJ Barrymore’s in Clinton Township, Michigan, and The Breaking Point in Austin, Texas. These venues highlight the incredible diversity of entertainment across the U.S., offering everything from family-friendly fun to high-energy stress relief. • • • CJ Barrymore’s – Clinton Township, MI youtu.be/qw_2cnhEdP4?si=2oNDrNe1QfmeeC6d For five decades, CJ Barrymore’s has been a must-visit destination for adrenaline-pumping excitement, family fun and…