Exhibitors, while you’re at this year’s Bowl Expo working hard to sell your products and meet people, organizers have asked you refrain from getting food samples at the other booths, leaving those tasty morsels for buyers. But, have no fear…they have your tummies covered, inviting exhibitors to stop by Booth #445 where BPAA will be offering free food samples both days of the trade show. “We ask that you do not take samples from other food booths during Expo,” wrote Amy Arcuri, BPAA’s director of member benefits. “Our food exhibitors are selling products and they need to reserve their samples for buying…

A recent NPR report celebrated the 35th year since the birth of Russian computer programmer Alexey Pajitnov’s side project, which was to become one of the biggest selling home vid games of all time – and a pretty good coin-op upright from Atari as well. You guessed it, the game was and is Tetris, one of the more addictive videos ever to appear. Gameplay, according to NPR, runs as follows: “Seven brightly-colored four-block pieces fall from the top of the screen … slowly at first and then faster and faster as the player rotates them to create complete lines. When…

Some recent changes have been made at Player One Amusement Group, including the promotion of John Kolliniatis and appointment of Jason Gould. Kolliniatis previously led the U.S. team as the vice president of operations since March, and has transitioned into the role of vice president and general manager on a permanent basis. He has “extensive years of experience in the amusement gaming industry and is extremely well respected, both internally and externally.” Gould has joined the company as the director of sales operations for its U.S. Central region. “Jason brings a wealth of experience in the amusement industry, having worked…

The first World of Tanks virtual reality eSports tournament is coming to Two Bit Circus in Los Angeles this Thursday, June 13, just in time for E3 2019. It will feature the Hologate VR platform, developer Wargaming and tech giant HP. It will be the first 8-player Hologate event, with 4-vs.-4 matches where players go up against each other in two Hologate platforms at once. World of Tanksis reported to be the first VR game supporting multiplayer matches over more than one of the platforms at a time, and the company plans on releasing that concept worldwide soon. Players can sign up…

According to local press reports, the Canadian city of Vancouver may prohibit bitcoin ATMs. Vancouver, which already passed a regulation earlier in the year to regulate and license the cryptocurrency venders, is now mulling a complete prohibition. The possibility of a crypto-ban was raised by Mayor Kennedy Stewart during a city council meeting on May 28. Since then, a fact-finding group has been formed to research the issue and prepare a report due in the fourth quarter of 2019. At issue is the possibility the units may be used for unsavory purposes, such as money laundering. The call for a…

IAAPA’s Asian trade show is coming up in Shanghai, China, starting tomorrow, June 11 and going through June 13. LAI Games will be there at Booth #1123 with their products. They’ll have information on three brand-new experiences coming later this summer, and will be featuring their top-earning VR attraction Virtual Rabbids: The Big Ride. The new experiences, LAI said, are “sure to generate even more enthusiasm for what is already the top game in venues worldwide.” More information is available at www.laigames.com.

Now through June 14, Digital Centre is offering some of its photo booths at $2,000-$3,000 discounts to celebrate their move in Miami (13651 SW 143rd Ct., Unit #105). They currently have their Mini I-Go available at $2,995 when buying two or more, and their larger Panther model at $5,495 for any purchase. For more information, visit www.digital-centre.com or call 305-387-5005.

The 2019 Golden Tee World Championship, to be held June 21-23 at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, will have an even bigger audience come August, as event organizers have teamed with ESPN on a television special. A 30-minute program showcasing the weekend’s most impactful moments will be aired on the sports network, including the crowning of a new Golden Tee champion in the game’s 30th anniversary year. The event will feature 74 of the best video golfers in the world, and will be livestreamed on the Golden TeeFacebook page, and YouTube and Twitch channels. But the joint venture…

An expanded fun park that was previously a go-kart track called Kokomo Raceway will be opening this month in the Indiana city of the same name. Now called City of Firsts Adventure Park, the indoor-outdoor fun center has an arcade, 36 holes of mini-golf, six batting cages, party rooms and a 1,000-foot go-kart track as its centerpiece. Jesse Gonzales and his parents, Danny and Robyn, purchased the property last September, according to the Kokomo Tribune. It had become a dilapidated eyesore in recent years, the newspaper noted. “It was an extreme challenge to rehabilitate this place,” Jesse said. “Every last…

The 35th annual international pinball extravaganza, formally Pinball Expo ’19, is coming this fall and organizers expect it to be their best year yet. Held Oct. 16-19 at the Westin North Shore in Wheeling, Ill., the Pinball Expo is anticipating more than 440 pinball machines and video games (eclipsing last year’s total), and should have record attendance numbers, too. They’re already scheduled to showcase more than 20 pinball machines from Spain – a first for the event. Another sneak-peek: Haggis Pinball of Australia will be exhibiting their latest game. Attendance tickets start at $30 More information is at www.pinballexpo.com.