The former Wisconsin operator Gene Urso, now 93, has a lot of great stories to tell, but also some valuable wisdom to impart to people in the coin-op amusement industry today, especially the next generation. Chief among them is to get involved, learn from experienced people, contribute and not be intimidated by successful people. Urso detailed this and much more to our RePlay Podcast host Randy Chilton during their recent discussion. (You can click here to listen.) Like Chilton, Urso served a term as president of the AMOA and only wishes he’d joined his state association, AMOA and the VNEA…
Author: Matt Harding
The AMOA Coin-Op Cares Foundation is getting ready for its 5th Annual Hesch Scholarship Online Auction this October and is asking for donations from members, industry partners, manufacturers and operators. They ask you to participate by donating an item, experience, service, gift certificate or monetary contribution. Click here to download the donation form. The online auction is scheduled to run from Oct. 19-Nov. 2. To date, AMOA has awarded more than $1.8 million to students across the country.
Mister’s Bar and Lanes in East Aurora, New York, will close tomorrow, Aug. 15, after being in business since 2019, WGRZ reported. The bowling alley-bar operators said in a social media post that the building’s owners found new operators for the space with plans to reopen with a “fresh concept” in the future. “We want to thank everyone who walked through these doors over the past seven years,” they wrote. “Every drink, every laugh, every late night and every celebration helped make Mister’s what it became. So many unforgettable memories were made here, and this place would never have meant…
Locations are beginning installation of HYPER GRID, LAI Games’ immersive active play attraction, the company reports. The company said four units were installed over the past two weeks at entertainment destinations in the U.S. and Canada. The first locations are Taroko Sports in San Antonio, Texas; Slick City in Geist, Indiana; Main Event in Woodbury, Minnesota; and Playdium in North York, Ontario. “Seeing the first HYPER GRID attractions going into venues across North America within such a short period is an exciting milestone,” said Jason Gould, LAI’s global VP of sales and marketing. Operator interest in the attraction has been…
The next LEXRA Huddle, a virtual event for the XR association’s members, will be on Thursday, Aug. 13, and feature guest speaker Jan Goetgeluk of Virtuix in conversation with LEXRA’s executive director Bob Cooney. Click here to register. The topic will be “Virtuix, AI & the Shift to Scanned Worlds.” “Jan has been an innovator in the VR industry for over a decade now,” said the event synopsis. “Beyond his entrepreneurial success in taking Virtuix from a Kickstarter to a publicly traded company, he’s become a passionate proponent of using AI-powered 3D reconstruction techniques to reduce costs and accelerate the…
Final Score Sports Bar & Arcade, a two-story venue in downtown Bryan, Texas, is set to open on Sept. 4, Community Impact reported. The first floor is the sports bar with 11 big-screen TVs, billiards tables, foosball and darts; arcade games will be located on the second floor. Final Score will also hold special events, watch parties and have 18-plus hours as well (it’s otherwise all ages before 9 p.m.). Owner Dustin Batson is a former nightclub operator who wanted to move out of that business. Learn more about his new place at www.finalscorebcs.com.
If you’d like to help shape the future of AAMA and the amusement industry, the association is asking you to submit your AAMA Team Interest Form by this Friday, Aug. 14. AAMA members can click here for 2026-27 team sign-ups. As the association continues to evolve, AAMA says it has a new volunteer engagement structure designed to create more opportunities for members to get involved, contribute their expertise and move their strategic priorities forward. From now on, committee membership is appointed and made up of designated board members and the chairs of the teams that fall within each committee. They…
Una de Boer was recently named the chief marketing officer for Enchanted Parks, which operates amusement parks like Six Flags Great Escape, Michigan’s Adventure and Diggerland. “Una is a proven brand builder who understands how to connect business strategy with creative, effective marketing,” said James Harhi, CEO of Enchanted Parks. “Her experience in the global attractions industry and her practical leadership style will be invaluable as we continue to build guests’ connection with our parks.” De Boer joins Enchanted Parks from WhiteWater, where she served in the same role and “helped build the global profile of the water park manufacturer…
VNEA held its 36th Annual International Junior Pool Championships from July 23-26 at the Marriott Event Center in South Sioux City, Nebraska. A total of 392 excited junior pool league players from 11 states, Canada and as far as New Zealand came to participate, representing 25 VNEA charters. The association reported that matches were held on 80 Valley pool tables and there was competition in 31 events (three age groups and three divisions for each age group). World pool champion and VNEA professional player representative Shane Van Boening entertained throughout the weekend with challenge matches, and photos and autographs. To…
Pipeline Games will host a moving sale at their warehouse in Sayreville, New Jersey, from Aug. 13-14. The company said select cranes and prize games are being sold for as low as $995. They’ll have all kinds of equipment, plush, toys and the like, including their top games like Cut 2 Win. Stay tuned for an online sign-up sheet at www.pipelinegames.com ahead of the event. (They noted that “some of the strongest deals will have purchase limits so more operators get a fair shot.”) Pipeline Games is currently located at 4000 Bordentown Ave., Suite 30, Sayreville, NJ 08859. Visit them…