April 2017 Section 1

In This Section.

Breaking News

TRR-FEC Welcomes New Advertisers to our Family

  • FetchRev – ‘Drive Return Foot Traffic and Return Revenue to Your Business’ – Build Customer Loyalty. All with automated email and social marketing campaigns. Brandon Willey, President.  [email protected].
  • Triotech – manufacturer/designer of multi-sensory, multi-dimensional interactive motion theater attractions. ‘Typhon Lagoon’ sit down 2 Pl has been the #1 video game for the past 2+ years. Triotech has created the most technologically advanced immersive and interactive media-based simulators for both the entertainment and edutainment markets. Dave Swafford, [email protected].

 

Newest Test Game Arrivals – Check them out in Test Games Spreadsheets (4 Test Locations)

  • Jersey Wheels (Jennison/BSR)
  • Let’s Bounce (LAI)
  • Rockin & Rollin (Jennison)
  • Screwball (ICE)
  • Bean Bag Toss (ICE)
  • Bop 2 Win (Family Fun Co)
  • Prize Party (Sealy)
  • Viking Hammer (Family Fun)

 

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I am waiting with great anticipation to testing Jewel Mine (Bay-Tek), my favorite new game that I saw at Amusement Expo!!!!  

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Apple Photo Booths ‘Have Legs’ – Future looks stunning – My company just bought 50!!!

I just could not resist taking this picture at Amusement Expo!!

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THREE New Test Games Break the Top 20 List the last week of April 2017

  • Bean Bag Toss Rank #13          $1554@20%
  • Let’s Bounce Rank #18             $1189@19%
  • Jersey Wheels Rank #20          $1026@40%

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Foundations Entertainment University is taking place May 10-12 at the FunPlex in East Hanover, NJ.  I still have several FULL SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE.  Email me at [email protected]

Now in its 15th Year as the #1 Ranked Industry Educational Program! Speakers: 200+ years of industry experience.

Foundations Entertainment University has received certification from IAAPA as a pre-approved course for 12 credit hours towards earning one of IAAPA’s three professional certifications.

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Amazon Comparison in 1 Chart – Amazon Up 1,934% in 10 Years to $356 Billion

The questionable future of retail in a single simple chart comparing Amazon to all the brick and mortars put together.  

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Big Box and Department Store Sales ($ Billion)

What this could mean? It means ‘opportunity’ for our industry to have access to renting/purchasing many of these large, high ceiling, big box spaces at very reasonable rates/prices!!!!  And a large majority of them are in great locations in great markets. It also could mean that if you are currently operating a FEC or bowling center or any entertainment center, that you ‘will’ be getting competition.  Our best advice is to always stay ahead of your market and keep your business relevant to what your customers want.  Education and forward progress, even little steps at a time, are the keys to success.  Stagnation and status quo can suck the life out of any business.

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Skill-based Gambling Games are off to Good Start in Nevada and New Jersey

Is the Amusement Industry Ready for the New Competition? It has been a little more than a month since the first new technology skill-based gaming machines (‘Cannonbeard’s Treasure’ & ‘Gamblit Poker’) were placed into live operation at Caesars Planet Hollywood in Nevada by Gamblit Gaming. According to Gamblit CEO Eric Meyerhofer, ‘The results so far are promising’. Here is what we have learned so far:

  • The players are younger (this is the most important aspect)
  • Families are playing together
  • There is crowd enthusiasm
  • Players are first-bumping even when they are losing
  • Players are sitting for 1.5 hours playing and socializing
  • Average play time is approximately 45 minutes
  • Initially, players are betting only small amounts, approximately $2, but when they became more familiar with the game, they are sometimes betting $20/bet.
Read more  The Redemption & Family Entertainment Center Report - October 2019 Section 2

Another company, GameCo, has placed its VGM arcade-style cabinet skill-based ‘Danger Arena’ and ‘Pharaoh’s Secret Palace’ at Caesars Palace and the Tropicana in Atlantic City, NJ. GameCo is focusing on traditional gaming themes that incorporate action, fighting, racing, flying and will be rolling out 10 games in 2017 including a basketball game called ‘Nothin’ but Net’ and a Terminator game. These games are 30-90 second video games. sterling The results so far:

  • Danger Arena has performed ‘below’ house averages
  • Pharaoh’s Secret Palace – some have hit house average
  • Average bet is $3
  • Revenues are higher when the VGMs are placed separately from slot machines
  • More than 60% of the players are below age 40.
  • Graboyes, GameCo CEO believes there is also a future for stand-alone VGM centers

What this could mean? Millennials will soon be the largest purchasing group and the casino industry is focusing on being relevant to their wants and desires.  Focus on the last bullet point above about stand-alone video gaming centers looking promising for the future.  What is the amusement industry doing now to prepare for what looks to be a major competitor to our current FEC model? If we look at what our trade press and associations are doing, we can see the beginning of this process.  AMOA has just signed a deal with Hartland to make it easier and less expensive for operators to use a cashless payment and accounting system.  AAMA has just finalized the ‘Fair Practices’ for redemption and merchandiser amusement games.  So far so good.  Our game manufactures, of course, are trying to gain a foothold on licensing/producing some of these games for the gaming industry, while the gaming industry is working hard to come up with their own skill-based game ideas. Can you imagine what a Video Gaming Center will look like?  Perhaps our industry will be asked to place a games zone with similar amusement games where children and teens (and some adults) can play and practice their skills until they reach age 21.  No, we better get ready for that age limit to be reduced to age 18 as you can bet will happen shortly. Perhaps our industry will come up with such superior game ideas so the general population will still frequently visit our traditional amusement FECs.  That is certainly a good thing to hope for but if history repeats itself, it will take at least 3 years of research and development before we as an industry will need to be ‘ready’.  Is it more practical to view the amusement industry as the ‘tortoise’ running against the gaming industry ‘rabbit’?  We all know that the tortoise wins the race in the story, but when the race also consists of collecting money along the way and investing in the future, maybe this time the rabbit is making most of the money along the way. The race ends at the steps to Wall Street where the tortoise gets their first (wins the race) but the sign on the entrance says ‘Rabbit Street – Rabbits Only’.

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Ask Frank the Crank

Installing 4 Token Dispensing Hoppers in a Pharaoh’s Treasure 4 Pl

(Johnny Pokrajic, Alpha-Omega Amusements & Sales, Production Manager)

The cost of parts/materials is listed below. -Hopper- $120 Each- Total of 4 per game = $480 -Power Supply- $23.90 Each- Total of 4 per game = $95.60 -Metal Tray- $33 Each- Total of 4 per game = $132 -Hopper Control Board- $69 Each- Total of 4 per game = $276 -Misc wood, plexi and screws = $10 Total Cost not including labor time: $994.60 for all 4 hoppers. Labor is approximately 1 Hour (with a little practice).

 

Read more  How To Make Money In Today’s Amusement Industry

Brilliant.  Hanging a Picture on a Wall – Simple!

Who doesn’t have trouble hanging a picture on a wall? Here’s one of those “now why didn’t I think of that?” moments!  

SpaceBallz Little Known Programming Guide Adjustments

Here’s a handy knowledge tool to have.  Space Ballz only has a stock number of changes you can make when adjusting the bonus and bonus slots.  However, the large bonus is what attracts the player. We ran into the problem when trying to lower the bonus slot values next to it, as the bonus jackpot also decreases. The result has been less play, less revenue. Check out the programming setup guide to manually change the scores next to the bonus jackpot, allowing you to decrease the payout % without affecting the large bonus.   USB

29 Things We Do Wrong Every Day

 

20 Chores You Do Wrong Every Day

We could all do with a couple of life-savers every now and then. That stain you’ve been meaning to remove from your couch but had no luck doing so? We’ve got the solution for you right here. Your tools which have gotten all rusty? They can be cleaned up easily! The video below will show you all the things you do wrong around the house, and how easy it is to solve them.  

Tips On Credit Card Theft – New Ways of STEALING!

SCENE 1 A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought to himself, ‘Funny, I thought I locked the locker. Hmm, ‘He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in order. Everything looked okay, all cards were in place. A few weeks later his credit card bill came – a whopping bill of $14,000!  He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions. Customer care personnel verified that there was no mistake in the system and asked if his card had been stolen…’No,’ he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, and yep – you guessed it – a switch had been made. An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet. The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards. Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them. How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy? $9,000! Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped? Small amounts rarely trigger a ‘warning bell’ with some credit card companies. It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to a big one!

SCENE 2 A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card. The bill for the meal came, he signed it and the waitress folded the receipt and passed the credit card along. Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Funny enough, though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and behold, it was the expired card of another person. He called the waitress and she looked perplexed. She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man. All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real card. No exchange of words — nothing! She took it and came back to the man with an apology. Verdict Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours. Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the card is taken away for even a short period of time. Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at it, ‘assuming’ that it has to be theirs. FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, DEVELOP THE HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR CREDIT CARD EACH TIME IT IS RETURNED TO YOU AFTER A TRANSACTION! AllKidsPlay_bannerad (1) SCENE 3 Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I had called in. I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of course, is linked directly to my checking account. The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, then laid it on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is standard procedure. While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing. I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds when I take a picture. He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons. Meanwhile, I’m thinking, I wonder what he is taking a picture of, oblivious to what was really going on. It then dawned on me the only thing there was my credit card, so now I’m paying close attention to what he is doing! He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open. About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picture has been saved. Now I’m standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my credit card. Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, I probably would never have known what happened. Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as I was walking out of the pizza parlor. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Whenever you are using your credit card take caution and don’t be careless. Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use your card. Be aware of phones, because almost all have a camera.

Read more  How To Operate Arcade Claw Game Machines (Cranes & Prize Games)

 

Alpha-Omega Amusements & Sales is Your One Stop Shop for Everything Related to Amusement Games

 

Industry Events May-August 2017

Dates Name/Link City/Country Frank ‘the Crank’ Attending/Speaking
May
7-11 Roller Skating Association Show 2017 Orlando, FL
10-12 Foundations Entertainment University East Hanover, NJ ➡ ATTENDING 💡 SPEAKING
11-13 GTI Asia Taipei Expo 2017 Taipei, Taiwan
 11-13 US Indoor’s Annual Conference & Tradeshow  Baltimore, MD
15-18 AALARA Trade Expo & Conference 2017 Queensland, Australia
20-23 NRA Show 2017 Chicago, IL
22-23 IATP Conference and Trade Show London, UK ➡ ATTENDING
June
1-3 Amusement & Music Operators of Texas Galveston, TX
6-8 Birthday University Raleigh, NC ➡ ATTENDING 💡 SPEAKING
7-8 Illinois Gaming Machine Operators Association Oak Brook, IL
14-16 Minnesota Operators of Music & Amusements Deerwood, MN
15 Ohio Coin Machine Association Bellville, OH
18-22 Bowl Expo 2017 Nashville, TN ➡ ATTENDING
19-21 Wisconsin Amusement Machine Association Milwaukee, WI
13-15 E3 Electronic Gaming Expo 2017 Los Angeles, CA
13-16 Asian Attractions Expo 2017 Singapore
August
8-10 Foundations Entertainment University Chicago, IL ➡ ATTENDING 💡 SPEAKING
22-24 Birthday University Atlanta, GA ➡ ATTENDING 💡 SPEAKING
25-26 Missouri Amusement & Music Operators Association Columbia, MO
 ➡  FRANK WILL BE ATTENDING
 💡  FRANK WILL BE PRESENTING A SEMINAR SESSION(S)

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