With an updated arcade and much, much more, Sun Valley Lanes and Games recently reopened after completing a $4.5 million expansion of their facility. According to KOLN, the project was finished about six weeks later than planned, but owners said they feel lucky about that timeline given the current market for construction essentials and ongoing international supply chain issues. The changes were aimed at giving the space a more modern feel and expanding the footprint. In addition to the new arcade, there’s a new outdoor space for lawn games and dining, a technology-based mini-golf system, a multilevel military-themed laser tag…
Author: Matt Harding
Intercard recently installed their latest cashless system at Fun Planet, a renovated FEC in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia. Fun Planet is a 54,000-sq.-ft. venue that features a three-level laser tag arena, an indoor go-kart track, more than 130 arcade games, a prize redemption counter, mini-golf and more. Fun Planet director Jason Wallace partnered with IT consultant Chris Motton and Zak Athanasiadis of Zax Amusements, Intercard’s Australian distributor and the largest supplier of amusement games in Australia. “Jason Wallace is one of the most experienced amusement operators in Australia and I have enjoyed working with him from his days with Fun Lab through…
LAI Games took home their seventh AMOA Innovator Award last week at Amusement Expo. This year, the manufacturer won for Angry Birds Coin Crash. The company said it’s the first tower-building coin pusher available at U.S. arcades and wowed operators during its trade show debut. “It is a privilege to be associated with our dynamic and talented R&D team, who have now won the AMOA Innovator Award five times in the last five years,” said Chris Brady, vice president of sales. The award recognizes new and exciting products in the amusement industry. With Coin Crash, coin towers are built from…
Bowlero, the world’s largest bowling center operator and owner of the Professional Bowlers Assn., will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange through their merger with Isos Acquisition Corporation. According to Globe Newswire, upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will be named Bowlero and will trade under the ticker symbol BOWL. Bowlero will continue to be led by its existing management team. “Starting with the purchase of the original Bowlmor Lanes in 1997 and its conversion into a Manhattan hotspot, we’ve been revolutionizing the bowling industry, and we’re just getting started,” said Bowlero founder and CEO Tom…
A former Chuck E. Cheese in Arlington Heights, Ill., is slated to become an indoor mini-golf course, according to the Daily Herald. Mark Giannecchini, who runs a nearby bowling alley, has a contract to purchase the 8,400-sq.-ft. building in hopes of returning family-friendly entertainment to the site. Chuck E. Cheese left the location vacant in 2015 to open a larger store in the area. Plans for the proposed M&M Mini Golf call for an 18-hole course with glow-in-the-dark capability. There will also be coin-op arcade games and a snack shop. Construction is expected to take up to a year.
Prize supplier Allstar Vending recently announced several new products for Fidget Poppers, which the company calls “the newest craze of 2021.” According to Allstar’s VP Sharon Shlien, they don’t cater to only bulk vendors, but to FECs, redemption counters and mini cranes as well. “We’ve decided to carry the item both alone and in a mix,” Shlien explained. “The idea is to allow operators who want to increase sales to use the popper as a leader in their machines. For those who like to order pre-mixed items, we will have a Fidget Mix available, which will include other hot fidget…
The latest home arcade cabinets from Arcade1Up, a company that builds classic replicas, were recently announced. One features Street Fighter II and the other is Turtles in Time, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game. Both are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. According to Hypebeast, each game is three-fourths the size of a standard arcade machine, “providing most of the same big and bold experience with less of the bulk.” Each also features original detailing. Street Fighter II is a two-player game that also contains 11 other classic Capcom titles, including Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Knights of the…
Industry veteran “Tony O,” who said he’d been contemplating retiring from the coin-op biz during the pandemic, is back in the thick of it – now as an independent sales agent for Player One Amusement Group. He’ll be helping with Southwest game sales and is available to assist all customer needs – sales, trade-ins, parts, service, setup, deliveries and more. “I take pride in the 46 years of experience I have with hands on and one-on-one service, which I will continue to give my customers here with P1AG,” Orozco said. Learn more at www.winwithp1ag.com and contact Tony O at [email protected].
An arcade bar called Playfield ’76 is expected to open in Reno, Nev., this August, according to Northern Nevada Business Weekly. The venue is ’70s-themed and will have 30-35 video games and pinball machines. Owner Has Mahmood spent months driving a moving truck to cities all over the West Coast to pick up games he bought online for $800-$2,000 apiece. One of his personal favorites is an Attack on Mars pinball machine in “pristine condition.” The arcade will also have NBA Jam, Time Crisis II and The Simpsons. “It took a while to not get too high or too low…
Clint Novak, a lifelong roller coaster enthusiast and manager of Fun Land in Fredericksburg, Md., hopped on a ride for charity recently – raising $4,100 for Give Kids the World. According to The Free Lance-Star, Novak’s friend runs Adventure Park USA and the pair worked out a deal for Novak to ride the Wildcat Coaster all day for charity. The plan was to pull in $25 for each ride and do it 100 times, earning $2,500 for the fundraiser. However, the money kept coming in on his Facebook page, where the rides were being streamed live. “We were amazed to…