The new Consumer Choice in Payment Coalition has recently formed with a broad spectrum of consumer representatives and businesses committed to preserving the right of U.S. consumers to pay with cash. As RePlay recently reported, the new group has AMOA and the National ATM Council among its members, and is stressing that cash poses no more health and safety risks than credit cards or cell phones. Among the coalition’s top national legislative priorities is supporting passage of the Payment Choice Act of 2019 (H.R. 2650). The group says the bill, introduced in Congress last year by Rep. Donald M. Payne…
Author: Matt Harding
In the coming months, Hamster Corporation will be adding a handful of Data East classic games to its Arcade Archives collection on the Nintendo Switch. According to Nintendo Life, those games include BurgerTime (1982), the top-down racer Burnin’ Rubber (1982), the sci-fi game Darwin 4078 and the beat ’em up Trio The Punch: Never Forget Me (1990). The titles were confirmed during the Japanese company’s recent Arcade Archiver livestream. No release dates were provided.
Despite a reported 67,000 U.S. deaths due to the coronavirus, around half of the 50 states have begun allowing some businesses to reopen, with obvious restrictions like social distancing. From Alaska to West Virginia, around 15 states now allow limited seating at restaurants, while some like Oklahoma, North Dakota and Texas have also opened movie theaters. (The New York Times put together an interactive page where you can get more details and stay up to date.) That list is bound to grow in the days and weeks ahead, despite the fact that virus infections show no real proof of abating.…
In a recent Raw Thrills Report, the manufacturer let customers know they’re “fully staffed and ready to hit the ground running as markets all over the world reopen.” They said they have every game in stock, and are putting the finishing touches on their new 2020 releases. The company also sent out a bunch of photos of its team diligently working from home. In other Raw Thrills-related news, the CoinUp team, which handles Big Buck HD, is continuing to wave the monthly service fee and software upgrade fee on the game for the month of May. The credit will automatically…
Bowling alleys around St. George, Utah, have started to reopen recently as the governor announced the state will be moving to a reduced coronavirus alert level. Dixie Bowl and Billiards opened April 22 under limited hours, according to the St. George News. Sunset Lanes opened as well. Both are upping sanitization and running at about half capacity. Sunset Lanes has 20 lanes, and the health department recommends they can run with five people per lane. After staggering lane usage, that means they’re down to 10 lanes and 50 people total. As soon as a lane is closed out, the ball…
Intercard’s Rachelle Granger recently shared some ideas that she thinks FEC operators should adapt, especially in light of doing business post-lockdown. By Rachelle Granger I started my career in the FEC industry in redemption sales, helping customers select the right merchandise to draw in new customers and retain existing customers. I am now selling cashless technology for arcades and FECs, which keeps me in touch with my many customers and friends in the industry. During the current COVID-19 crisis many of them have asked me for advice on their redemption operation. Here are a few ideas I suggest implementing that…
The newest addition at American Pinball is Dave Brennan; the company recently announced him as their technical services manager. Brennan has more than seven years of troubleshooting experience, fixing and restoring pinball machines of all eras. One of his first initiatives is to start an ongoing series of instructional videos covering topics such as new game setup, how to update code, maintenance tips and more. “I’m really looking forward to starting conversations with American Pinball owners and distributors to determine how I can best serve the pinball community,” he said. “I am extremely excited about this opportunity with American Pinball.”…
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the AAMA’s Charitable Foundation has decided to postpone their 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award fundraising program. The Lifetime Achievement Award itself was presented to Betson president and CFO Bob Geschine at Amusement Expo in March. AAMCF planned to begin their fundraising campaign this month for their annual souvenir Ad Journal, distributed at their meeting in September. However, “given the tremendous upheaval throughout the entire industry” caused by COVID-19, the foundation decided to postpone it until 2021. “AAMCF’s fundraising for the Lifetime Achievement Award – Honorary Ad Journal represents our foundation’s largest single annual fundraising event,” said…
Beginning yesterday, May 4, Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis began allowing retail stores and restaurants in most of the state to reopen, provided social distancing measures are being observed, says NPR. To start, that means operating at 25 percent of capacity. The order does not apply to Palm Beach, Broward or Miami-Dade counties in South Florida. According to the Miami Herald, one restaurateur in the area is suing the governor, calling the order an unfair attempt to reopen some businesses in the state but not others. In Texas, stores and restaurants, along with movie theaters began reopening last week, while Georgia’s…
Outlaw Pass, an FEC in Victoria, Texas, reopened Friday, May 1, at 25 percent capacity – one of the conditions Gov. Greg Abbott placed on businesses allowed to open in the state during “Phase One” of resuming normal operations. Under that stipulation, the entertainment center’s go-kart track, mini-golf course and arcade were much quieter than usual, said co-owner Julie Mize. Other coronavirus-related changes, according to the Victoria Advocate, include all employees wearing face masks and gloves, hand sanitizer available throughout the facility and a staff member completely dedicated to disinfecting arcade games and other surfaces. The indoor-outdoor center is operating…