AAMA continues its new webinar series today, April 28, at 10: 30 a.m. Central with “The Road to Recovery: Financial Assistance & Loans.” (Register here.) The webinars, held every Tuesday at the same time, are open to the first 200 registrants and are free to members and non-members alike. They will tackle the challenges the industry is facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch their first one here, and stay tuned for more on May 5 and May 12. Get registration details ahead of time via the AAMA Facebook page, or visit www.coin-op.org for additional information.
Author: Matt Harding
It’s now more important than ever for operators to address the cleaning and sanitization of their equipment, AMOA says, which is why the association has created stickers, posters and more for facilities and their machines. Available at www.amoa.com/covid19 under “Other Resources,” you’ll find a 5×5” safety sticker, an 8.5×11” safety flyer and a 2×3’ safety poster. The posters and flyers have optional “insert company logo” files, too. Each is available for download, and can be taken to a local print shop or online printing resource for processing, AMOA said. If logo placement assistance is needed, you can email AMOA’s Maggie…
Experience maker Holovis has developed a new app called Crowd Solo that aims at helping attractions open safely with new social distancing measures. According to Blooloop, the app is made for entertainment destinations and includes reservation and queue-management tools with proximity alerts, “allowing operators to get a real-time overview of guest movements and to avoid crowd hotspots forming.” The app will be free to all single-ticket admission destinations like theme parks. “We are committed to helping the industry that we love to get back on its feet as quickly and safely as possible,” said Peter Cliff, creative director at Holovis.…
In a limited capacity, Betson’s parts, service and customer service departments are open for business, they say, along with the Raw Thrills support teams. “We are currently taking parts orders by phone, email and through our website, and we are also taking advance replacement orders,” the company said. “Our teams are responding to all email and phone inquiries as well.” Betson Parts & Service has also opened their main parts warehouse for limited operations, and will be shipping customer orders 1-2 days per week as local conditions allow. Order pickups are still not available at this time. Reach the teams…
RePlay is in the midst of surveying the operating business – both route and game center owners – on the problems and solutions created by the coronavirus’ impact on coin-op. It’s a clear and necessary part of what’s called “COIN-OP UNITED” in this fight to survive and then prosper in the hoped-for recovery. Which is why we’re asking operators to complete their online surveys speedily. (Route operators can do that by clicking here, and arcade/FEC/LBE folks can do that by clicking here.) This is not the time to hit the delete button on the laptop… it’s time to team up…
Following a multi-year effort by the Alaska state legislature, with support from the National ATM Council, the state signed into law a bill that authorizes surcharges on international credit/debit card transactions at retail ATMs. Previously, independent ATM companies were “precluded from charging a reasonable fee for providing ATM services to international visitors in Canada,” NAC executive director Bruce Renard said last year. “This has placed a ‘hidden tax’ on Alaskan cardholders and penalized Alaska’s small businesses who collectively have been subsidizing surcharge-free ATM transactions using foreign cards.” Added Renard after the bill was signed into law by Gov. Mike Dunleavy:…
This month’s Party Center Software webinar will feature Ryan Gillenwater of McGowan Allied Specialty Insurance, who will address the topic of unlocking your doors: “Tips to Effectively Prepare Your FEC for Re-Opening.” It’ll take place live this Thursday, April 30, at 2 p.m. ET. Click here to sign up. Even if you can’t make it live, you’ll be sent a copy of the webinar. Learn more at www.partycentersoftware.com.
A Texas axe-throwing venue is getting an update eight months after it opened. Temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Avenue Axe has been using the time to add a party room, new bar games and more. According to the Port Arthur News, the main point of the renovation for owner Brett Reeves is to make the exterior and interior spaces more appealing. “We are sprucing up the avenue a little bit,” he said. “We’re getting rid of the dull brown, expanding the parking lot, installing a new front door. The way it is now – it’s an old building…
The Game Exchange of Colorado will reopen its full-service distribution business on April 27, according to company president Rich Babich. Operating in full compliance of the state’s “safe at home” guidelines, Babich said Game Exchange will have their full-service department on site with all work stations at least eight feet apart. “We will operate our parts department on a call and ship, or curbside pickup, basis,” he said. “Our showroom will be available only on an appointment basis, so we can comply with proper distancing and safety protocols.” All visitors to the facility will be required to have their temperature…
Sanitization and cleaning protocols was the first topic of AAMA’s Member Connect webinar series, which began April 21. Click here to see the video, which features AAMA’s Joe Camarota and Pete Gustafson with Bruce D. Groves of Emilcott Associates, Inc., and Paul Migliore of Belfor Property Restoration (www.belfor.com/en/us). Give AAMA tips on what you’d like to see in the webinars by taking a short survey. You can also visit www.coin-op.org/covid-19 for more resources.