Elev8 Tampa and Elev8 Miami will soon incorporate Shaq’s Big Chicken into their food and beverage lineup, the company’s David Goldfarb told RePlay. Tampa will get it in July and Miami in September. Goldfarb said he was in Las Vegas for a trade show and stumbled upon Shaq’s Big Chicken for lunch and loved the idea. “We were already serving California Pizza Kitchen and Mr. Beast Burger inside Elev8, so we had two of the three major food groups intact,” he said. “Chicken was the one category we felt was missing.” Big Chicken was founded in 2018 by NBA Hall…
Author: Matt Harding
LAI Games recently announced that seven of its attractions were chosen for Pinstack Kincora, the newest location for that chain, which is opening in Sterling, Virginia. The selection includes Ubisoft All-Star VR as the venue’s only VR attraction. The 56,000-sq.-ft. space will also offer Cyberpunk 2077: Turf Wars, Galaxy Hunter, Tornado, Dragon’s Bane, Cosmic Tower and the Asphalt 9 Premium racer. As far as other attractions go, they have Brunswick bowling lanes, a zipline, laser tag, bumper cars and more than 125 arcade games in total. “We’re proud to have such a strong LAI Games lineup selected for Pinstack Kincora,”…
AMOA was recently celebrated by Graphic Design USA, which selected JMS Marketing Inc. as a recipient of its 2026 Digital Design Award for their work on the newly revamped AMOA.com. “The annual GDUSA competition honors excellence in digital and visual communications, recognizing standout achievements in website design and online branding,” the association explained. “JMS Marketing Inc. earned the distinction for its comprehensive redesign of the AMOA website, delivering a modernized look and enhanced user experience for the association and its members.” If you haven’t already, see what’s new at www.amoa.com.
Monster Mini Golf recently developed a mobile app that’s been expanded franchise-wide, offering all their players a more seamless mini-golf experience. The mobile app allows guests to track scores, reserve birthday parties, purchase special promotions and stay connected with the Monster Mini Golf experience before, during and after their visit. It’ll also mean less time standing in line in the venue. “This isn’t about an app – it’s about evolution,” said Chris King, president of Monster Entertainment. “Today’s families live in a digital-first world, and they expect their entertainment to keep up. By merging online convenience with our in-store experience,…
Meiling Wallaker is the new senior administrative assistant at the VNEA headquarters in Bay City, Michigan. A graduate of Ferris State University, she brings more than 10 years of experience in accounting, finance and administrative operations across a variety of fields. She’s held key roles with RWC, Inc., United Way of Bay County, Saginaw Valley State University and MidMichigan Health. You can help welcome her to the VNEA family by sending her a line at [email protected].
Stern Pinball is celebrating 40 years here in 2026. The company has started to take its walk down memory lane, highlighting the people and games that’ve made it all possible. A “40 Years of Stern Pinball” trailer was recently released, as was an interview with the founder Gary Stern. The business first started as Data East in late 1986 before becoming Sega Pinball and finally Stern Pinball in 1999. Most recently, Stern Pinball released Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye, a new machine celebrating that franchise’s own 40th year. Stay tuned to www.sternpinball.com and the company’s social media pages for…
Last week, AMOA and AAMA were in Washington D.C. for another joint fly-in event, led by Dentons Global Advisors (DGA Group), the associations’ legislative counsel. AMOA reported that 35 meetings were conducted over two days in both the House and Senate. Major talking points included fair banking access, tariffs and supply chains, and rising health care costs. On those issues, AMOA said: Banks routinely classify amusement operators as “high risk” and abruptly close bank accounts – despite operating lawful, family-friendly businesses in all 50 states. We asked Congress to pass the FIRM Act and the Fair Access to Banking Act…
The 46th Annual VNEA World Pool Championships were held May 21-30 at the Westgate Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The event featured more than 4,000 pool players from 29 states, six Canadian provinces and nine other countries. There was competition in 93 unique events, including 22 team divisions for every skill level – all played on 300 specially-designed Valley tournament tables with 300 sets of new Aramith balls. Among the highlights: Team USA won the 13th Annual World Team event; two Valley home pool tables and three AMI jukeboxes were given away; and the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award was…
Now in their 18th year, the Big Buck World Championship team recently won a Telly award, receiving bronze recognition in the craft directing category for its livestream production, which brought in more than 400,000 unique viewers over the two-day event. The coverage showcased the journeys of 128 qualified players as they competed for their share of a $125,000 prize pool. “What makes this especially meaningful to me is that competitive arcade gaming production is not exactly a traditional broadcast category,” said the director, Todd Gordon. “Over the years, we’ve continued pushing the production forward, improving the storytelling, pacing, technical execution,…
IAAPA Expo Asia ended last week at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, bringing in nearly 5,500 verified attendees. The association’s next big show is IAAPA Expo Europe, held Sept. 21-25 at ExCeL London. More than 800 exhibitors and 175-plus industry speakers are expected. Registration is also now open for IAAPA Expo in Orlando, to be held Nov. 16-20 and “set to be the biggest ever,” the association said. Check it all out at www.iaapa.org.