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PLAY METER |
Twice a Month Publication for the Coin Operated Entertainment Industry
Member
CO NTE NTS/ Volume 11, Number 23/December 15, 1985
FEATURES Seeburg hopes for revolution ................ 14
Within a few months Seeburg will introduce a phonograph that plays compact audio discs. The company hopes the new product featuring exceptional sound and more than 600 selections will revolutionize the jukebox industry and send 45s the way of 78s.
Winter Buyers Guide ........................ 18
If you're planning to buy phonographs, countertops, or specialties, here's something that can help—a current photo guide to the equipment.
Countertops important in bar locations ....... 38
Countertop games return more than the contents of their coin boxes. The best of them can improve a bar's chances for success by enhancing the social atmosphere and encouraging patrons fo stay longer.
Obsolescence plays at Jukebox Junkyard ..... 42
Oid jukeboxes find life after death at the Jukebox Junkyard in Lizella, Ga., where the Dean family makes acquisition and restoration of antique juke- boxes a labor of love.
DEPARTMENTS
6 Up Front 46 Management
7 News 47 New Products
37 Tax Tips 50 Classified , 40 Frank’s Cranks 54 Guest Commentary |
44 Equipment Poll
Cover: The Winter Buyers Guide won't keep you warm on a cold night, but if you cur up with it a while you'll see a season's worth of phonographs, countertops, and spe- cialties.
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STAFF
FOUNDER: Ralph C. Lally {1
PUBLISHER: Carol P. Lally
V.P. AND COMPTROLLER: John F. Lally Ill
V.P. AND DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING: JA. VonderHaar
EDITOR: George R. Sigler
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Valerie Cognevich
ART DIRECTOR: Katey Schwark
TYPOGRAPHER: Jo Ann Anthony
GRAPHICS DESIGNER: Margret Vincent
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Bonnie Theard
TECHNICAL WRITER: Frank Seninsky
CORRESPONDENTS: Roger C. Sharpe Charles C. Ross Mike Shaw
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Richard Priesmeyer Irving L. Blackman Harold |. Gould Jeffrey Rosenthal
CIRCULATION MANAGER: Renee’ C. Pierson
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PLAY METER, December 15, 1985. Volume 11, No. 23. Copyright 1985 by Skybird Publishing Company. Play Meter (ISSN 0162-1343)(USPS 358-305) is pub- lished twice monthly on the 1st and 15th of the month. Publishing office: 6600 Fleur de Lis, New Orleans, La. 70124; Mailing address: P.O. Box 24170, New Orleans, LA 70184, US.A.; phone: 504/488-7003. For subscriptions: 504/488-7003. Subscription rates: U.S. and Canada—$50; foreign: $4150, air mail only. Advertising rates are available on request. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without express permission. The editors are not respons- ible for unsolicited manuscripts. Play Meter buys all rights, unless otherwise specified, to accepted manuscripts, car- toons, art work, and photographs. Second-class postage paid at New Orleans, LA 70113 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to PLAY METER, P.O. Box 24170, New Orleans, LA 70184.
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
Charles Brandon Morris Daniel Godfrey Ken-
D.O.B.: July 24, 1980 ears eee Hair: Blonde D.O.B.: June 18, 1980 Eyes: Blue Hair: Red Height: average Eves: Blue Weight: average Height: 3'7” , Weight: 42-45 pounds Disappeared 1982 ea | from Whitehouse Tennessee Many cavities in teeth
Elbow scratched up severely Freckles, 1 lazy eye Disappeared May 27, 1985 from Cottage Grove, Oregon
If you have information about either of these children please call: 1-800-235-3535
ye — Distributed by: 2 Hide and Seek Foundation, Inc. Ss oF VeO*eCeAelL 5 SN iB ceeds ide I Video Operators Childrens Alert Line Volunteers Can Call (503) 294-0746 1410 N.W. Johnson Street Outside Oregon 1-800-547-9755 ext. 50 Portiand, Oregon 97209
NOVEMBER '85
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UP FRONT
Since the AMOA show much has been said about the optimistic attitude threading its way through the industry, and it would be overkill to mention it again. Nevertheless, there are things happening in the coin-op industry that are confirm- ing the industry’s revitalization with actions, not just talk. People who have been in the industry working for various COmpanies now are making commit- ments to the industry by starting or expanding their own companies.
It may notseem momentous for new companies to crop up since it happens quite often in all indus- tries. But that knowledgeable industry veterans, not new investors unfamiliar with the industry, are coming back into the business—a business that has seen many companies fold—is significant.
Ed Pelligrini and Jerry Marcus of Atlas Dis- tributing Company in Chicago began more than a year ago to put together a distributing company. Both had years of experience working for distribu- tors and manufacturers, but the odds were against them. The industry was declining, the economy was unstable, and the two were trying to succeed in Chicago, where Atari Distributing had failed previously.
Despite the odds, they decided to do what they do best in an industry they knew well, to offer customers what they needed at a fair price and then back it up with the best service possible.
Their plan worked, and Jerry Marcus shared his secret. It simply is making promises you can keep to Customers and then keeping them. Atlas emphasizes the personal touch so long ago misplaced or lost altogether.
Ed and Jerry recently hosted a customer- appreciation dinner, and nearly 400 people attended. Those people represented a group that believes the industry can support new businesses, and welcomes them.
But there are similar examples in all segments of the industry.
Steve Henderson, formerly with Southwest
Actions confirm revitalization
Vending, started Operator's Distributors on the same premise—be true to your customers.
Brady Distributing is expanding into Tennes- see, a move confirming its belief in the industry.
In manufacturing, Capcom of Japan has deemed the industry worthy of a U.S. office to market equipment besides licensing games to other companies.
Even Sega, which at one time thought it better to sell than to continue operations, now believes the market is ripe for introducing product such as its hit Hang-On.
Stan Jarocki, Dave Marofske, and Hank Ross, who admit to about 100 years of experience among them, have announced plans to produce some exciting products through their new manufacturing company, Grand Products. They stress the impor- tance of starting out small with little overhead and reinvesting profits into product. With the experience the company has behind it, the chances are good that Grand Products will succeed.
Premier Technology, built on the foundation of Coca-Cola-owned Gottlieb-turned-Mylstar, began in the coin-op industry only a year ago. Those who invested in this small company knew the industry and would not have ventured into a business they felt would fail. And it’s done anything but fail. It’s past few products have been right up there with the big guys on the equipment charts.
It's said that when a large company goes out of business it reflects poorly on the whole industry. | hope the reverse is also ttue—when knowledgeable industry veterans commit their own money to a business it reflects well on the whole industry, and everyone sees that the industry is once again a good one in which to invest.
Valerie Cognevich Editorial Director
COCO OOOO OO Oooo Oooo
6
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
David Marofski
Industry vets form new company
Stanley Jarocki
Dave Marofske, Stan Jarocki, and Hank Ross have founded a new company, Grand Products, Inc., that will manufacture coin-operated amusement machines in Elk Grove Village, Ill.
The company has not announced its first product, but Jarocki said it would be a pleasant surprise to the industry.
Jarocki, vice president and one of the directors of the company, said, “Among us three there is over 100 years’ experience in the coin-operated amusement industry. We feel we have the expertise and know what opera- tors need and want. We plan to bring products to the marketplace to help operators make money.”
Jarocki said he is confident the industry is making a comeback. “The time is right, and we see the light at the end of the tunnel for this industry. The industry needs young aggressive companies with good ideas to bring to the market. We will start out small with low overheads, instead putting profits in product,” he said.
Grand Products has adopted a traditional marketing plan under which it will sell to operators through a distributor network. The company’s address is 775 Nicholas Blvd., Elk Grove Village, IL 60007. Its telephone number is (312) 593-2770. e
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
Ohio pool-league update
The 1985-86 pool league season has begun, and the Ohio Music and Amusement Association (OMAA) reports three new operator partici- pants: JCS Enterprises of Dayton; J&R Music of Zanesville; and H&Z Vending of Dayton.
Returning operators in the pro- gram are Acme Music and Vending of Niles, Capitol Vending of Lima, Gem Music of Dayton, and A. Van Brackel and Sons of Defiance.
Ohio operators interested in orga- nizing leagues should call OMAA state
coordinator Lewie Hageman at (419) 782-2741 or pool-league committee chairman Joe Cardone at (419) 229- 7848.
The OMAA/Valley Pool League Association, which previously only ran the state tournament, has been estab- lished formally with the ratification of its constitution at a meeting in Lima, Ohio.
The purpose of the association is to increase operator and player involve- ment, aid in communication, and conduct the association championship each year. A tournament committee has been formed of both operators
An English Mark Darts tournament at Arachnid’s booth at the AMOA show, as well as tournaments conducted by Dynamo and Valley, raised $3,500 for the Hesch Memorial Scholarship fund.
AMA seeks ban on cigarette ads, vending machines
The American Medical Association (AMA) is calling for a ban on all ciga- rette ads, a halt in cigarette vending- machine sales, and a ban on smokKe- less-tobacco television ads. The plan has been adopted by the AMA's board of trustees and assembly.
The association’s doctors argued in a recent public hearing that because cancer is linked strongly to cigarette smoking and chewing tobacco, the medical profession has a duty to curb tobacco use. Dr. Robert McAfee, an advocate of the anti-advertising pro- posal, said in an Associated Press article that more than physicians’ counseling is needed to stop “the ravages of this social habit.”
Medical leaders contend that the ban of radio and television cigarette advertising in 1971 has only prompted tobacco companies to beef up news- paper, billboard, and magazine advertising.
Dr. D.E. Ward, Jr. who is from tobacco country in North Carolina, said in the same AP article that though tobacco is a health hazard, “manufac- turers of legally produced tobacco products have the constitutional right to advertise their products in ad com- petitive manner.”
McFee discounted first-amendment arguments saying “we feel this [the advertising ban] is the number one public-health right, [and] the greatest national good that we can do at this time.”
Anne Browder, assistant to the pre- sident of the Tobacco Institute, the tobacco industry’s lobbying organi- zation, said “advertising doesn't create smokers; it creates brand loyalty.”
But doctors said they feel adver- tising can affect the young, and Sur- geon General C. Everett Koop said efforts should be made to protect
youngsters from tobacco health dan- gers. The surgeon general has stated publicly his goal of a smoke-free society by the year 2000.
Leonard Matthews, president of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, said in a New York Times article that such a ban would be unconstitutional and ineffective. “We have studied the situation in depth,” he said, “and our position is that any- thing that is legal to sell should be legal to advertise. There are qd number of foreign countries that have banned
cigarette advertising, and exhaustive studies indicate it has no effect on the number of people who smoke.”
Matthews added that advertising bans have had a negative effect because people are not well informed of new advances such as filters that make cigarettes less harmful.
The AMA plans to prepare model bills for state legislatures on prohibiting cigarette sales to those under 21 and banning cigarette-vending machines to keep children from ignoring the age limit. e
NAMA voices opposition to ban
The National Automatic Merchan- dising Association (NAMA) responded to the American Medical Association's latest anti-smoking proposals by announcing it “will coordinate orga- nized opposition of our members to all proposals aimed at restricting or banning the sale of cigarettes through vending machines.”
In a release issued December 13, Walter W. Reed, NAMA director of public relations, said the AMA's call for state legislation banning cigarette sales through vending machines is based on the belief that “a substantial number of teenagers under the legal age purchase cigarettes from vending machines.
“This allegation is completely contrary to the facts,” Reed said, “and singling out cigarette machines for such legislation while ignoring the many other channels of distribution which account for a considerably larger source of cigarettes for those under the legal age isclearly discrimi- natory and unrealistic.”
In another NAMA-issued state- ment, the organization's president, G. Richard Schreiber, said the vending industry's OPERATION ALERT pro- gram, begun in 1962 to prevent ciga- rette vending sales to minors, has been “a success from the beginning” with the result, according to a 1977 NAMA study, that more than 97 percent of teenage smokers do not buy from vending machines.
Citing the need to “renew our proven self-regulation program” NAMA also announced OPERATION ALERT II, which includes not only a reaffirmation of the six-step program to prevent cigarette vending sales to minors but also the dissemination of information to counteract criticism of cigarette vending.
Among other actions, the program calls on cigarette-machine operators to post decals reading “sales of ciga- rettes to minors are forbidden” on machines and to remove machines from locations in which sales to minors cannot be prevented. e
DE
MARCH 7 THRU 9
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
and players.
The association is headed by a board of directors, a council, and committees. The OMAA representative is Lewie Hageman, the operator representative is John Rambarger, and the player representative is Jerry Dunbar.
The 1985-86 season is the fifth for the Valley National 8-Ball Pool League Association in Ohio. e
Hesch Fund awards scholarship
The Wayne E. Hesch Memorial Scholarship Fund has awarded its first scholarship to Donald E. Davenport of Ozark, Ala.
Davenport received the scholar- ship based on financial need and an outstanding high school scholastic record. He currently is enrolled in junior college and expects to transfer to Auburn University in 1986.
The $1,000 educational scholarship is named for Wayne E. Hesch, 1978-79 president of AMOA, who died in 1983. The fund is administered by the AMOA Educational Foundation, and appli- cations are open to the public.
During this year’s AMOA Expo in Chicago, Arachnid English Mark Darts, Dynamo Foosballs, and Valley Pool Tables conducted tournaments at their booths and generated $3,500 for the fund.
Donations may be sent to the AMOA Educational Foundation for the Wayne E. Hesch Scholarship Fund, 111 East Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60601. @
MCMOA announces pay-phone deregulation
At the recent Michigan Coin Machine Operators Association con- vention, Walt Maner, MCMOA execu- tive director, announced the October 1 approval by the Michigan Public Utilities Commission of installation of customer-owned coin-operated tele- phones (COCOTs). Maner stressed that private pay phones are only legal in Michigan Bell's territories that have local measured-business-rate service. Michigan Bell, the largest of several phone companies in Michigan, made the initial application to the commis- sion for approval to allow privately owned phones to be hooked up to Michigan Bell lines. Approval was granted for Michigan Bell's measured- business-rate territories only.
In measured-rate territories busi- nesses pay Michigan Bell a flat usage rate plus 8.2 cents a call. The PUC was specific in its ruling, but Michigan Bell is developing ways to enable private- pay-phone owners to operate in Michigan Bell territories that do not have measured-rate service. Maner said approval also is likely for other phone companies in Michigan.
Maner cautioned operators, saying, “the market is expected to be flooded with different types of sets, so make sure the sets you purchase are compatible with the regulations placed on their use.”
At the convention, Joe Cooke of Flint Vending and Amusement was elected MCMOA president, Chuck
Joe and Dee Cooke (right and center) of Flint Vending & Amusementreceive an award for outstanding service from Walt Maner (left), executive director of the Michigan Coin
Machine Operators Association (MCMOA).
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
THE CALENDAR
March 4-5 International Gaming Business Expo- sition, Tropicana Hotel and Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Con- tact Conference Management Cor- poration, 17 Washington Street, P.O. Box 4990, Norwalk, Connecticut 06856. Telephone: (203) 852- 0500. Telex 284997.
March 7-9 American Coin Machine Expo, Expo- center, Chicago. Contact W.T. Glasgow at (312) 333-9292.
March 14-16 South Caroline Coin Operators Asso- ciation annual convention and trade show, The Carolina Inn, 937 Assembly St., Columbia South Carolina. Contact Helen G. Sikes, (803) 254-4444.
April 11-13 New York State Coin Machine Associ- ation Trade Show, Turf Inn, Albany, New York. Contact Gina Vichiconti or Curtiss Matterson, NYSCMA Heac- quarters, c/o Matterson Associates, 427 Kenwood Ave., Delmar, NY 12054, telephone (518) 439-0981.
April 26
Amusement and Music Operators of Texas (AMOT) 6th Annual Texas State Eight Ball Pool Tournament, Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas. Contact Pat Miller, (512) 454-8625. Direct all inquiries to 940 E. 51st St., Austin, TX 76751.
May 29-June 1 Florida Amusement/Vending Asso- ciation (FAVA) convention trade- show. Hyatt Orlando, Kissimmee, Florida. Contact Norm Jensen at (904) 878-3134.
International Shows
Janaury 23-25 IMA, Messegelande, Frankfurt, West Germany. Contact Heckmann GmbH, Messen and Ausstellungen, Kapellenstr. 47, D-6200 Wiesbaden, West Germany. Telephone 06121/ 524071. Telex 04186518.
February 16-20 Northern Amusement Exhibition, Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Contact First Leisure Corporation, Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Telephone 0253-293002.
March 12-13 Coin Op 86, Burlington Hotel, Dublin, Ireland. Contact SDL Exhibitions Ltd., 18 Main Street, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14. Telephone 900600.
Williams of Cigarette Service Co. in Dearborne was elected vice presi- dent, and Mike Leonard of Coin-Op Specialists was elected secretary/ treasurer.
The convention and trade show attracted 24 exhibitors and more than 175 attendees. e
New York legislative summary
The following is a summary of New York State Coin Machine Association
Mondial
pis: | tie,
ium:
Nick Andricovich
About 100 operators attended a customer-appreciation open house at Mondial International Corp. in Spring- field, N.J.. December 12.
Hosted by the Mondial staff, includ- ing the father-son team of Anthony
10
deft) and Glenn Giannini (right) of Century Amusement of Monroe, Conn., flank Mondial’s Lou Padmos.
(NYSCMA) activities during New York's 1985 legislative session.
Taxes on coin-operated amuse- ment devices—Assembly 778 (Sulli- van-Grannis) would have imposed a statewide sales tax on coin-operated amusement games. Although not withdrawn, sponsors held the bill in committee. A second bill, Goodman- Sanders, would have imposed a $150- a-year tax on each coin-operated amusement device in New York City. Extensive meetings resulted in the bill’s removal.
Increased penalties for theft from
open house draws operators
games—Legislation was introduced making all thefts from coin-operated amusement devices a felony regard- less of the amount of money taken. Under current law, a minimum of $250 must be stolen before the crime is a felony. Despite endorsement from trade associations, the bill was held in committee in both houses. NYSCMA efforts will continue to address the pro- blem.
Free-play legislation—Several free-play bills were introduced, one permitting up to 20 free replays. Itcon- tained a general prohibition on gray-
HOT COFFEE —&
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. git | aa sei oa a
as Cd rh es i
Mondial’s Tom Riley (left) and John Howard showed operators
U-Select-It vending machines.
(general Manager) and Tony (opera- tions manager) Yula, the open house featured a buffet dinner, door prizes, equipment specials, and a display of new equipment.
Among representatives of more than a dozen manufacturers at the
Nintendo’s Bill Cravens begins a pinball competition on ROCK as Jeff Walker of Premier (left) awaits his turn.
open house were Bill Cravens and Joe Gilbert of Nintendo, Steve Walton of Data East, Jeff Walker of Premier, Jeff Murdoch of Konami, Howard Rubin of Kitkorp, Tom Petit of Sega, Ken Ander- son of Cinematronics, Mark Struhs of Dynamo, and Mort Ansky of Merit. ®
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
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area games, but did not include the comprehensive restrictions contained in the NYSCMA-proposed legislation. The bill was held in both houses.
The association supported a bill sponsored by Halperin-Brodsky that would make gray-area games illegal by creating a new category of illegal gambling devices, “modified slot machines,” and make possession of these machines gambling devices per se, constituting a Class Amisdemeanor.
21-year-old drinking age—The board of directors opposed this bill, but it was passed into law.
New York City regulations— Analysis was made of the proposed New York City Department of Con- sumer Affairs regulations affecting the industry. Provisions were critiqued with suggested changes offered by NYSCMA legislative representatives.
Casino and slot-machine gam- bling—NYSCMA continued to oppose legislation legalizing casino and slot- machine gambling in resort areas around the state. e
New York Association schedules trade show
The New York State Coin Machine Association (NYSCMA) has scheduled its first industry trade show for April 1 1- 13, 1986, at the Turf Inn in Albany, N.Y.
A reception will open the show April 11; seminars will be conducted April 12; and the public is invited for April 13.
For more information, write NYSCMA at 427 Kenwood Ave., Delmar, NY 12054, or call (518) 439- 0981. e
Minor joins Nintendo
Nintendo of America has appointed Mike Minor midwest regional sales manager. Minor had been with Bally Corporation for two years. e
New Japanese operator association formed
Thirty operator associations in Japan have joined to form the Federa- tion of Local Amusement Associations.
The federation was established as an alternative to the Nihon Amuse- ment Machine Operators Association (NAO), which as a result was formally dissolved as of October 22. Those working on the new federation said in
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
a Japanese newspaper that NAO could no longer protect Japan's amusement business, saying NAO could no longer distinguish between amusement games and gaming devices. e
Campbell named to Status post
Tom Campbell has been named western regional sales director by Status Games Corp., the Connecticut- based manufacturer of Triv Quiz and Hangman.
te
Tom Campbell
Before joining Status, Campbell worked for Stern Electronics, Cinema- tronics, and Betson. He most recently worked for an exhibition company outside of the industry.
Campbell's new address and phone number are Status Games, 3941 B, South Bristol, Suite 37, Santa Ana, CA 92704, (714) 850-9064. e
Police take aim in Hogan's Alley
It was an unusual request from police, but Franz Amusement Com- pany, a Nintendo distributor in Hous- ton, was pleased to oblige. The request: installation of a VS. Hogan's Alley video game in the Rice Univer- sity Police Department.
While on patrol at Rice Memorial Center, Sgt. Willie Anderson, the department's firearms training officer, watched students playing the game, which tests a player's coordination as he uses a light gun to shoot criminals.
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Anderson saw the game was based on principals used in expensive police- training films and programs.
Because the Rice Police Depart- ment has a small training budget, Anderson saw Hogan's Alley as a way to provide inexpensive training.
Now that the game has been installed at the department, Anderson is busy monitoring officers’ scores to measure their improved reactions. ©
CMIA annual meeting
The Coin Machine Industries Asso- ciation of New England (CMIA) held its annual meeting in November at the Pillar House in Newton, Maryland.
The program included an update on insurance programs, discussion of the pay-telephone industry, and a year-end business session. e
Rock-Ola takes distributors to China
Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corp. recently hosted a trip to China, Japan, and Hong Kong for a group of its dis- tributors. The trip was the culmination of a contest Rock-Ola began in spring 1984. At the end of 18 months, the dis- tributors with the highest sales were to be treated to the exotic vacation.
Monroe Distributing, Active Amuse- ments, and Betson Enterprises won the trip but were unable to go. AMA dis- tributors’ Bob and Jerri Nims and Charles and Verna Voss and Brady Distributing’s Jon and Gwen Brady and Blair and Gayle Norris enjoyed the trip aboard the Royal Viking Star
Rock-Ola distributors and guests who enjoyed a private cocktail party hosted by the
from Japan to China, visits to popular ports of call, and a visit to the Great Wall. ®
ICMOA plans pool tournament
The Illinois Coin Machine Opera- tors Association (ICMOA) is planning its annual pool tournament scheduled for April 6 in Peoria. The association expects more players next year than the 20,000 who competed in 1985.
Men will compete two nights a week for 10 weeks beginning in Janu- ary to determine two players eligible from each league for the state finals; women will compete one night a week for the 10 weeks, with one winner from each league eligible for the finals.
For more information about the tournament, call Walt Lowry, chair- man of the tournament committee, at (217) 285-4381. e
MOMA to host annual show
The Minnesota Operators of Music and Amusements (MOMA) will host their annual show and exhibit Feb- ruary 21 and 23; exhibits will be shown February 22. Attendees will include operators, distributors, and media representatives from Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
For more information or to reserve booth space, write MOMA, 4805 Zenith Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55410, or call (612) 927-6662. e
Royal Viking Star included (front from left) a ship‘s hostess, Gayle Norris, Joe Massaro, Verna Voss, Jerri Nims, Gwen Brady, a ship’s hostess, Lou Ptacek, (rear, from left) Bette Lockhart Harvey Levin, Blair Norris, Dora Massaro, Bob Nims, Jon Brady, Anna Ptacek,
and Charles Voss.
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
Ed Pellegrini and Jerry Marcus of Atlas Distributing in Chicago asked their customers and manufacturer representatives to join them for a holli- day celebration and product show- ing, and 365 people accepted the invitation.
About 150 operating companies and 20 manufacturers were repre- sented at the December event at the Zum Deutschen Eck German restdau- rant in Chicago.
Reflecting on Atlas’ success in less than a year of existence, Marcus said customers have been happy with the company because Atlas has Kept its
A Konami portrait includes Jeff Murdoch, Sherry Atkins, and Frank Pellegrini, Ed’s brother.
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
Sue Jarocki helps Jerry Marcus (left) and Ed Pelligrini draw names for prizes donated by manufacturers.
promises. “It’s easy to make promises and then conveniently forget them. We haven't forgotten promises of good service, personal attention, and genuine concern for our customers,” he said.
Atlas has nine full-time service people, and Abi Carman’s In Service, with three service people, has its offices in Atlas’ building.
“Service is important to us and to our customers,” Marcus said, adding, “The service team is headed by Mike Mazzaroli, one of the best servicemen in the country.”
The event confirmed optimism
German dinner.
Frank Schultz and Bette Lockhart of Rock-Ola enjoy the
Bob Lloyd (left) and Steve Walton of Data East discuss the industry with table mates.
Optimistic operators attend Atlas party
among operators, optimism first shown at the October AMOA show and evident at subsequent events. “It’s so nice to see operators coming out of the doom and gloom that once pre- vailed,”” said Marcus. “The operators are seeing their businesses picking up and their attitudes reflect it.” Manufacturers that donated prizes to be raffled off included Atari, Cine- matronics, Data East, Digital Controls, Exidy, Game Plan, Grayhound, Kitkorp, Konami, Memetron, Merit, Nintendo, Premier, Progressive Game Distributors, Rock-Ola, Romstar, Sega, Status Games, The Valley Company, and Williams. e
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13
Seeburg hopes for revolution
hi 1950, when Seeburg Phono- graph Corporation manufactured the first jukebox to play 45-rpm records, it was the beginning of a revolution in the jukebox industry.
More than 35 years later, Seeburg hopes to begin another revolution of that magnitude when it introduces in 1986 a phonograph that plays compact audio discs (CDs).
Seeburg intends to change the jukebox business not only by intro- ducing a phonograph to make 45s as antiquated as 78s, but also by making its CD jukeboxes exclusively cur- rency-operated ($1 bills and $5 bills), not coin-operated.
According to Bob Breither, See- burg marketing director, the company has developed the CD to “revive the industry.” While conventional 45-rpm jukeboxes “are fine units,” he said, they are “getting to be old hat. Anew innovation, a means for the operator to earn more money is certianly at hand. The compact disc is, we feel, going to be the answer.”
Indeed, the advantages of compact discs compared with 45-rpm records may make the CD jukebox, “the ans- wer” for phonograph operators.
For starters, the sound produced by a CD system clearly is superior. The system works by means of a laser that reads digitized information on a 4.7-inch disc spinning at least 200 rpms. Because no physical contact is made with the disc, there is no wear on the disc. Even if there were, scratches and smudges would not affect the sound produced. The result is clear, precise, undistorted sound and discs that theoretically could last forever.
But sound aside, the discs offer other advantages to operators. Fore- most among them is that while the recording industry makes 45s almost exclusively for jukeboxes, compact discs are in general demand. Opera- tors of CD jukeboxes would not have to wait for weeks for a 45-rpm version of a hit tune to be released (if it is released as a 45 at all).
“If an artist has a hot number, and the record companies necessarily don’t produce that little 45-rpm single for the operator” until as many as nine weeks after the tune becomes a hit, Breither said, the operator is unable to ride the crest of the tune’s popularity.
An additional advantage of the
14
by George Sigler
CDs is that each disc contains from 10 to 12 tunes, which allows a tremendous increase in the number of selections a jukebox can offer. Seeburg’s CD, for example, will offer a selection of more than 600 tunes from 60 discs. Each disc will be represented by a mock album cover. Players will select an artist's disc by using a rod to flip through the covers and then choose One or more tunes from the disc. Selections will be played in sucha way that if all the tunes on one disc are chosen, they will not be played consecutively.
Between its much improved sound and much greater selection, the CD jukebox, Seeburg believes, will be well received by locations, such as hotel lounges, that in the past have shunned jukeboxes.
Seeburg’s compact-disc jukebox (which the company is referring to as CD1, but has tentatively been named the Crusader) will cost operators about 20 percent more than conven- tional jukeboxes, according to Breither. And the single-sided discs currently cost about $10 or $11.
“Of course the cost of the disc is dropping progressively over a period of time,” Breither said. “By the time we re in full production you'll find that that disc will have gropped consider- ably from what it is today.” Another factor offsetting the cost of the discs is their resale value, which should be excellent considering a 10-year-old compact disc normally should pro- duce sound indistinguishable from a brand-new disc.
Helping offset the cost of a CD jukebox will be maintenance require- ments “considerably less,” according to Breither, than those of a conven- tional jukebox. “The fact that you’re using a laser-induced—I’ll call it atone arm for lack of a better word—elimi- nates a lot of the mechanism that would be necessary,” he said. “It’s a simpler version that an electro- mechanical device that you are used to seeing. Electronics-wise, of course, we're using every high-tech source available for the convenience of the operator from a service standpoint.”
Seeburg also plans to offer a kit to convert the company’s Prelude cabinet into a CD jukebox. Breither said Prelude buyers would be given certificates allowing them to purchase the conversion kit, which he said would be available some time after the CD reaches the market.
Another kit will be offered (for about $60) to allow the CD to be coin- operated, but, Breither said, “Our marketing plan is to promote the $1 and $5 validator, not a coin-operated device, really. Sure there’ll be cases where the operator will demand the coin-op aspect of it, and that would be an option, but basically what we’re trying to do is steer this music busi- ness into the dollar, five-dollar concept.”
Seeburg is forging the way for CD jukeboxes less than two years after the company’s rebirth as a phono- graph manufacturer when the rights to the Seeburg name were bought from Stern Electronics, which had purchased the company in 1979.
The new Seeburg returned to the market with the introduction of the Prelude phonograph, and after over- coming the apprehension of distribu- tors and operators who wondered whether the reborn company would survive, Breither said, the company has found a market for its new juke- boxes and parts for old Seeburgs. The company is “adding more and more distributors,” Breither said, “and | venture to say we will have some [dis- tributors] who will ask to join the See- burg family [when the CD comes out] who today are not in the family. I’m quite confident that that will happen.”
Banking on its CD jukebox to pro- duce another industry revolution, Seeburg, Breither said, is being true to its heritage.
The company, he said, has “always been known as the innovator. We go for broke because that’s the only way you can keep this industry alive and viable. To stick with coin play only and not merchandise and market the aspect of the dollar and five-dollar bill with such high-quality music is a terrible mistake. The operator needs to have something like this.”
If all goes according to plan, the revolution will begin when Seeburg introduces its Crusader in the first quarter of 1986. e
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
PO aaa
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PHONOGRAPHS
AMI Antique Apparatus = Entertainer II DB-4! maar 77s ae
Nelson/Aved Technologies Nelson/Aved Technologies NSM The Audix 1000 The Audix 3000 City I
16
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
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NSM Concert 240
Prestige II
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NSM Sound Master Compact
NSM Satellite 200
Ola
Rock- 488
Rock-Ola 483
1
, December 15, 1985
PLAY METER
18
Rock-Ola Super Sound 490
Rowe Golden 7
Rowe Kentwood
tre ooh itet Sent
Rowe Golden 89
Rowe Big Blue
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Rowe
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
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Rowe Starlight
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Sonata Corporation
Seeburg
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19
, December 15, 1985
PLAY METER
Wurlitzer Wurlitzer Wurlitzer Caravelle Diana Fuego
erm | $1100 |
Wurlitzer Wurlitzer Wurlitzer SL 700 A SL 800 Tele-Disc New Products (photographs not available) Audix 2000 CD-1 Compact Disc Jukebox Playmate Escort by Video Laser Systems by Seeburg by Memetron (jukebox conversion kit) (available in early 1986) (full-view wall box)
VJ Video Disc Jukebox from Weaver Enterprises
Footnotes:
'The Antique Apparatus DB-4 is modeled after the rare 1942 Wurlitzer 950 and outfitted with a modern computerized system by Rowe. Model TB-6 also available.
*Seeburg’s Prelude is available with optional $1 and $5 validator.
The Sonata 1050 is a replica of the Wurlitzer 1050.
Plan now to attend ACME ’86.
20 PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
COUNTERTOP GAMES
om
Adrian Enterprises Memory Quiz
Cinematronics Computer Kinetics Computer Kinetics Info-Mania/Reflex Shoot Out/Acey Deucey You-Pick-It I
Digital Controls Digital Controls Digital Controls Countercade Crown’s Golf Little Casino
'YPE IN YOUR MESSAGE AND BOOST UP SALES
Digital Controls Digital Controls Digital Controls Little Casino I! Pacer Poker Tactician
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985 24
PROGRRA UP TO 6 CUSTOR RO RESSAGES
Mini Vegas
Grayhound Electronics Video Trivia?
Entertainment Enterprises Reno Games
Hi-Country Manufacturing Memory Challenger
Gametronix Split Second
House of Cards House of Cards
Intermark Reflex
tp_— ae BIG TOP ANau
J. F. FRANZ MFG. CO. CHICAGO, ILL.
J.F. Frantz Big Top Pinball
4 FRAMTZ MFO. CO.
KICKER: CATCHER
FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY
J.F. Frantz Kicker and Catcher
tite aa
2” CATCH UNTILOUT | @
“=e = “LITTLE LEAGUE Yr |
om
J.F. Frantz Little League
RATINGS
J.F. Frantz Long Shot
22
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
J.F. Frantz Lou Pavloff Asso. Pot of Gold Mini Boy 7 Mr. Computer
Ole . TeV Etes vou TS #14 : UR POKER : BLACK inex
_ THE DICE Gone j
M. Kramer Manufacturing Merit Merit LA Trivia Pit Boss‘ Tablestakes
Merit Merit PGD Tic Tac Trivia* Trivia Whiz° Progressive Music Trivia®
Operator Manufacturers Alliance Technical & Marketing Infoomration
JOIN ‘TODAY! Call Us At 1-800-225-0227 Than Dial 993417
Qr Write Tb-
1349 E. Seminary Drive Fort Worth, TX 76115
ne % 4 aS» f
Sunn International Chips
Status Games Triv-Quiz’
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985 23
SMS Manufacturing Techstar U.S. Billiards Lott-O-Help (prototype)® Spirit Casino React
New Product
(photograph not available)
Super Triv by Nova Games of Canada (countertop, upright, mini, and kit)
Footnotes:
ILittle Casino II also available.
2Available in 13 inch and 9 inch countertop, also upright, cabaret, cocktail, and kit.
3Available in upright, cabaret, cocktail, and kit.
4Available in 13 inch and 9 inch countertop, also cabaret, cocktail, and kit.
SAvailable in 13 inch and 9 inch countertop, cabaret, cocktail, and kit; also Trivia Whiz II, I, and Sex Trivia. 6Categories available: Rock & Pop Iand I, Country Music I and I, Movie and TVthemesIand II, and Mixed Bag. 7Available in upright and kit, also Triv-Quiz II, HI and IV, Sports Triv, and Sex Triv.
sLott-O-Help is a biorhythm game that gives suggested lucky numbers. It does not dispense lottery tickets.
LOOK CAREFULLY
COVER TO COVER
ADVERTISERS REACH PROFITABLE MARKETS IN
ADVERTISE 904/488-7003
24 PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
SPECIALTIES AND MERCHANDISERS
i
BREATH ANALYSER
Wy)
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HD
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Air-Port Systems Air-Vend, Inc. Air-Vend, Inc. Breath Analyser
Air-serv Duo-serv
soe eo eR =
Baer
. Air-Vend, Inc. Air-Vend, Inc. Alliance Vac-serv Windshield Washer Fluid Dispenser Acc-U-Air Tire Inflators
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
Vda
Allstate Distributing Astro Vision, Inc. AVS Breath-Alcohol Tester Astro Scale Autoasis
Betson Betson Betson Big Choice Triple Crane Big Dipper by Sega Fantasy Island
AT YOUR FINGERTIP
INSTRUCTIONS
THE FITNESS CHART
= a « = r A tary pe » . . .
pS NS Betson Comedy Cartoon Factory Compuvend, Inc. Your Choice Low Boy Crane Comedy Cartoon Factory Instrumed II
26 PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
VALLEY»)
in 1985 - just as in ‘82,’83,‘84 -AMOA voted
vale COUGAR CH
the Industry’s “Most Popular Pool Table’’!
HOME POOL TABLE
Thank you operators!...for expressing your confidence in Valley every year that this award has been given! Valley appreciates your recognition that our tables mean quality and that quality pays. Through the years, you have supported us, our distributors, our leagues and most important — our tables. We promise to continue to work for the betterment of our industry, and to remember that you are always winners with Valley!
COUGAR MODEL 32 (7)
THE VALLEY COMPANY
As determined by the vote of the AMOA
THE VALLEY COMPANY
Subsidiary of Kidde, Inc.
P.O. Box 656, Bay City, MI 48707 © (517) 892-4536 Sales “Hot Line” (800) 248-2837 * TELEX NO. 234218
STRESSALY LEE
TL EcTROMK & POoORACA STEESS
Compuvend, Inc. Stressalyzer I
CHECK YOUR WEIGHT NOW /. on COMPUTAWEIGHER
Veer actaat wong fe earpared wth ¥ —
rs we ap AAR SP RIEM nd ah tna we rent nn B® |
Pe ea $0 Ordon Owe POCORERS
THE WORLD'S MOST ACCURATE PUBLIC WEIGHING SCALE
Computaweigher, Ltd. Computaweigher
Honda Cappy Cotton Candy
SRA =e
= ——— . ~
Honda Fanky Malloon
ad
ed ee
Innovative Industries Fred Flintstone Lucky Eggs
Call Us At 1-800-225-0227 Then Dial 993417 Or Write To-
1349 E. Seminary Drive Fort Worth, TX 76115
Innovative Promotions Fun Mirror
28
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
< 2 BY
... LHE VIDEO GAME’
A ‘ nother high earning fun game for the
STATUS SYSTEM™. HANGMAN features col- orful, entertaining graphics that will appeal to all types of locations and players. Use your skill or just test your luck on the magic wheel. Many dif- ferent strategy options and operator adjustable options (including an advertising feature) help make HANGMAN another top earning video game from STATUS.
ANGMAN is available as a low priced,
quick-change update for the STATUS
SYSTEM as well as a universal kit for any horizon- tal, vertical or cocktail game on the street. All uni- versal kits include buttons, complete colorful graphics, PC boards and much more. As always, HANGMAN can also be purchased in our own durable, metal countertop as well as a dedicated upright or cocktail.
PROFIT
S TATUS has done it before... . join the STATUS SYSTEM™ and
enjoy another top earning, indus- try first. ...HANGMAN.... THE VIDEO GAME™.
56 Budney Rd., Newington, CT 06111 (203) 666-1960 2901 So. Highland Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89109 (702) 731-4940
Telex: 643318
CWA AAALA
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GAME CORP
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AMERICAN COIN MACHINE EXPOSITION FRIDAY, MARCH 7 - SUNDAY, MARCH 9, 1986 « EXPOCENTER/DOWNTOWN CHICAGO
co future of he 4 in es semen ch n + those ee
The
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: Lie Nil —=s# UA
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PRE-REGISTER NOW to receive your badge of admission at a spe- Housing forms, travel information, seminar registration materials and cial discount rate! PRE-REGISTRATION: $10.00. ON-SITE REGIS- complete schedule of events will be sent separately. TRATION: $15.00. Complete and return the coupon below with your check for $10.00 per NOTE: $5.00 FEE TO REPLACE LOST BADGES. NO EXCEPTIONS. person (U.S. currency), made payable to AMERICAN COIN MA- Minors under the age of 19 will be admitted provided they have paid CHINE EXPOSITION, 16066 SOUTH PARK AVENUE, SOUTH their registration fee, and are accompanied by a badge-bearing adult. HOLLAND, IL 60473 USA. MUST BE RECEIVED BY FEBRUARY 7, 1986. Only 21 characters Check below your business Name —___ re including spaces classification: will appear on 10 Exhibitor a EEE | OU cigs 2 0 Non-Exhibiting Manufacturer . 3 CZ Distributor/Management ai | eee 4 O Distributor/Sales 5 0 Arcade Operator Street ——— ). $$$ 6 0 Route Owner/Operator ; ; 7 O Technician 6 || a a ee a ae ee ee a a | ee ree nM Te coh ee 9 0 Other a I 5 specify
Sponsored by: Skybird/AAMA Joint Venture
Managed by: William T. Glasgow, Inc., 16066 South Park Avenue, South Holland, IL 60473, 312/333-9292, Telex: (ITT) 4943831 BG UI.
THE SYSTEM
SFAIU
GAME CORPORATION @
[/| TRIV-QUIZ |
[J TRIV-QUIZ II
[J TRIV-QUIZ III
(J. TRIV-QUIZ IV
[J SPECIAL EDITION TRIV [V) SPORTS TRIV
VY. SEX TRIV
IY] HANGMAN |
l\/] FUN CASINO
[\/| CASINO STRIP | '/} CASINO STRIP II \/| CASINO STRIP III [4] CASINO STRIP IV 4] CASINO STRIP V
IY] CASINO STRIP VI WY] CASINO STRIP VII
IY] BABY BOOM CHALLENGE
ae WITH THE
PROGRAM!
96 Budney Rd., Newington, CT 06111 (203) 666-1960 2901 So. Highland, 15-D, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109 (702) 731-4940 Telex: 643318
Test
q.gogo REACTS
Intoxigraph Lucky La Intoxigraph
- if
| | |
SBNBSV i kt 3a 1p a
Movie Hut Movie Hut
Movie Hut Check It Out! Fun Chicken!
Breath Alcohol Scanner
VWEND-A-STICKER
a ia Al
WAR “St © Qe Bae -at BS
at S zt « Of Be. se oO WS wee »:
Movie Hut Movie Hut OMACO Tobi Vend-A-Sticker Omaco 4000
32 PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
O-Sun Company O-Sun Company The Circus The Valet Rocking Granny
ONE RERNS
Pacific Novelty Patent Development &« Marketing Rand of Phoenix Computer Portraits Minute Clinic Air Machine
Rand of Phoenix Rand of Phoenix Roth Novelty Air/Water Machine Vacuum Diga Mart by Sega
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985 33
Rothschild
Showcase, Inc. Suncenter 2000
Standard Metal Typer Showcase Crane
Metal Typer
Taito America
Tanning Hut Double Chance
Tech Vend The Tanning Hut BP 5000
CHER YOUR
BLOOD PRESSURE
ANT s: HEART RATE
tes tengasctont That Yoo Keosw
ow
BLOOD PRESSURE HEART RATE
Sea |
MINI-CLINIC
Soe
EPP ER e ME Seen: ag Rane oie Sb: ees iss SOUND nana SIS mone
RACERS
RAM IRS
DEN ree
Po meow
ee ee RE Ree re See in ~ 8 REN Mee oR oie ae ee ee
enna ch eae St NeNIe: Doe iene! pee Rogen non # sannaine
Tech Vend Heart Rate Mini Clinic
Tech Vend Pulse Meter I
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
&
= éhkenchen t
~ 4 €/
Tonk-A-Phone U.BI. Air Talker
a TRE ASIE A US ing
@ ISLAND: Ne = DIETS AMM SIFTS wong
waagd
Universal Visual Universal Visual Universe Affiliated Autorama Cartoon Theatre Chucklin’ Chicken Treasure Island Gifts
PELL. PRN STEROTTST REECE ATEN
Universe Affiliated Vending Alternatives Vending International Tripleway Crane Coin-Laser Press Mega 3 Diffuser The Crane
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
35
. ? 4 i . . 7° 4 ~_ , . » i “ae j yu *
Video Vendor Weighmaster The Wright Group Video Movie Rental Weighmaster Clown-A-Round New Products (Photographs not available) Self-contained tire inflators Chicken Machine Lucky Crane by Air Depot, Inc. by Innovative Industries by UPL, Ltd. (egg dispenser) Check Yourself Corona 3000 UFO Catcher by Sega by E.B.A5S., Inc. by Royal Corona, Inc. distributed by Movie Hut (alcohol breath-detection machine) (30 amp tanning bed) (two-player merchandiser)
PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAP!
$$++ The DOUBLE PLAY ++$$
e Increases revenue by allowing two games to operate in single cabinet.
e Legally double your game capacity for those cabinet limited stops.
e New conversion? Don't shelve that old game.
Use both.
Field proven.
Uses existing controls and monitor. Easy to install
Alternately displays Attract Mode of both games.
No gimmick. The DOUBLE PLAY board is an
intelligent microprocessor controller.
e Aliows Nintendo VS. UniSystem to operate with
M7 ” he games (must sate
: Smee tt e Cabinet Art Kit available for that Professional Look.
; ima: LH Ke ch — (Includes marquee, instruction sticker, and game identifiers.)
a e Repair warranty.
e $169.95 (board and harness)
\
DP ELECTRONICS Ge eas a
16 North 3rd St. ¢ Harrison, NJ 07029 Add $4.00 for shipping & handling Tel: 201/484-0235 C.0.D. — Add $4.00
"e ‘ St are
SUBSCRIBE TO PLAY METER
THE THINKING MAN DOES!
Don’t miss ACME ‘86 March 7-9
Expocenter/Downtown Chicago 504/488-7003
36 PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
TAX TIPS
By Jeffrey
Rosenthal
Tax code offers disaster relief
This year seems to have been one of disasters. According to the Ameri- can National Red Cross, there have been so many hurricanes, storms, forest fires, explosions, and other dis- asters in 1985 that the organization’s Disaster Relief Fund is broke.
If you or your business sustains a loss from a disaster in an area deter- mined by the U.S. president to warrant federal assistance, there is a special tax rule that may help you cushion your losses.
Internal Revenue Code Section 165 (1) gives you the option of taking the loss on the tax return for the year in which the loss occurred or electing to deduct the loss on your return for the preceding taxable year.
If you elect to take a 1985 disaster loss on your 1984 tax return, you must do so no later than the due date of your 1985 tax return (April 15, 1986,
for calendar-year individuals; March 17, 1986, for calendar-year corpora- tions). You may claim the loss by filing an amended 1984 tax return or form 1045, an application for a tentative refund. |
An election generally becomes irrevocable 90 days after the date the election is made.
The alternative is to take a deduc- tion on the current tax return. To claim the loss you must prepare form 4684 (casualty and theft losses for individuals) or form 4797 (supple- mental gains and losses for busi- nesses). The forms should be available from your local IRS office. If you sus- tain the casualty loss personally, it would be added to your itemized deductions.
Your disaster loss first must be reduced by any insurance reimburse- ment or grant received, then by 10
percent of your adjusted gross income (individuals only), and then by an addi- tional $100 (also individuals only). The difference is then added to the rest of your itemized deductions (individuals) [Sect. 165 (c) (3)].
Because of the reduction, imposed by President Reagan in 1981, of 10 percent of your adjusted income, losses have to be substantial.
If the loss is so substantial that it - exceeds your earned income, it may result in anet operating loss (NOL). If so, your loss either may be brought back three years (in the case of a 1985 NOL, carried back to 1982) or carried forward to the next year.
The rules on disaster losses and net operating losses are complex and include many traps. It is prudent to consult a tax professional to make sure you qualify for these tax-saving benefits and avoid pitfalls. é
Many consider the so-called divi- dend-exclusion rule one of the best loopholes ever created for corpora- tions. Intended to help small corpora- tions accumulate capital as quickly as possible, the dividend-exclusion rule has worked so well that Congress is considering its repeal.
Simply put, the rules state that corporations can exclude from income 85 percent of the dividends they receive from domestic corpora- tions that are subject to income tax. [IRS Code Sects. 243, 246; Regula- tions 1.243-1—1.243-3]
The 85-percent-of-taxable-income limitation on the dividends-received deduction does not apply for the year if deduction of the full 85 percent
results in a net operating loss [Sec. 246 (b) 42) ].
The 85-percent rule is sweetened to 100 percent of qualifying dividends received from affiliates or from a small- business investment company oper- ating under the Small Business Invest- ment Act of 1958.
One trap to avoid is being judged a personal holding company. In this arrangement, five or fewer share- holders own more than half of a cor- poration’s stock, and more than 60 percent of the firm’s income is generated from dividends, interest, or other passive sources. The IRS can impose a 70-percent tax in addition to the regular corporation tax on the undistributed passive income of
Dividend exclusion one of best loopholes
personal holding corporations.
No deduction is allowed for divi- dends received from a corporation that, like subchapter S corporations, is exempt from income tax.
Another trap to avoid is the accu- mulated-earnings tax. If undistributed dividends exceed reasonable levels, the IRS may deem them excess accu- mulated earnings subject to a sub- stantial tax. Corporations must dis- tribute the income or prove the funds are needed for business. *
Jeffrey Rosenthal is anoperator anda tax accountant. He can be reached by writing M&J Tax Service, Ltd., 1967 Bath Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11214, or calling (718) 232-0342.
SSS
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
37
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Countertops important in bar locations me”
by Valerie Cognevich
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Countereo games, designed to fit nicely on top of a bar, have become as popular as the locations they are made for.
The number of bars and taverns has increased in the past two years to account for about 42 percent of avail- able locations compared with 39 per- cent in 1983, according to the Amuse- ment and Music Operators recent survey.
But, according to Digital Controls’ Mike Shaw, bar owners do not give up precious bar space easily. “Bar owners do not look to get rich on the revenues from the games, but they do expect the games to keep people in the bar buying more drinks. And countertop games do just that,” he said. “A guy may drop into the bar, buya beer, and then, not seeing anyone he knows, leave. However, if there’s a counter- top game on the bar, he may decide to play a few games, and that may lead to another beer. So the customer is satis- fied, and the bar owner has kept that customer a while longer.
“But we could even take this astep further,” he continued. “Say that same customer is playing a game of trivia. Someone sitting nearby may get
interested, and soon a conversation is in progress. So the game has also added to the social climate of the loca- tion. Countertops lend themselves to this scenerio because they feature themes that most adults are familiar with.”
Peter Feuer, president of Merit Industries, Pennsylvania manufac- turer of Pit Boss, Triv Whiz, and Tic Tac Trivia, agrees. “Countertop games may not draw customers intoa bar,” he said, “but they should keep them there. No matter where the bar is, whether it’s in a blue-collar or a white-collar area, people are still look- ing for the same thing. They want to forget about the bills, the kids, and the wife and relax. A shoot-’em-up video game may just increase anxiety.”
But wouldn’t the typical video game accomplish this end? Not necessarily, said Shaw. “When a player is battling aliens or blasting tar- gets on avideo game, it is intense com- petition between man and machine. The player is absorbed in that game. A typical video game demands concen- tration with few distractions and appeals to a younger audience. Even the cabinet design is made so the
player’s head is stuck in the game. Countertop games complement the social atmosphere of a bar or tavern because they invite a sharing of infor- mation.”
Another feature of countertops is longevity. Feuer points out that a countertop game may not produce weekly grosses as high as a video game’s but the earnings will be steady a lot longer. Both Shaw and Feuer said they know of locations that have had Little Casinos and Pit Bosses for years; their appeal never dies.
Countertops were not designed, nor are they likely to attract, a young audience. Video games and pinball machines cater primarily to that market. Countertops, by their very design and theme, are geared toward a mature, adult group. And appealing to a discerning adult market begins in cabinet and initial appeal. Noted Feuer, “A good countertop must be attractive and can’t look like a com- puter terminal. Adults leave the office and stop by their favorite bar to unwind and forget about the day. They don’t want to be faced with something as uninviting as acomputer terminal, probably similar to one they
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38
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
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have been seeing all day. No, a countertop game must be warm and inviting.”
The game must be easy to under- stand because once a player has decided to pop a quarter into a coun- tertop game, he will not welcome the challenge of figuring out how to play. Long, complicated instructions and an unfamiliar subject may be enough to lose a player’s attention and his quar- ter. The game must be slow-playing, not reflex-oriented, and not high-tech or high-intensity. Adults face enough stress during the day without paying for more in the guise of a game. But according to Shaw there should be some time involved so that the player won't sit there all night or get involved in a football game on TV and forget he’s in the middle of a game.
The themes that have proven successful for countertop games are ones that adults have been familiar with for years. Card games paved the way for the countertop revolution. Some men play poker every week for years at a time; it is a never ending theme.
Trivia also is a natural theme for countertop games. Said Feuer, “Trivia
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has always made front-page headlines, and what people talk about in bars is sex, their jobs, and trivia—What year did Babe Ruth hit his most famous home run? Who was president when
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“Bar owners do not look to get rich on the revenues from the games,
but they do expect
the games to keep people in the bar buying more drinks.”
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such and such happened? What team won the World Series in a certain year? Trivia is something everyone is comfortable with.”
Golf is another theme used in countertops, and it is successful for
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the same reasons as other themes— golf is familiar ground. Friendships are born on golf courses, and who can resist trying for a hole-in-one or advising someone else of a sure-fire way to make one.
At the recent AMOA show several other familiar themes were shown. Tic Tac Trivia revives the tic-tac-toe game most adults played as children. Hangman is another countertop theme immediately recognized by almost everyone.
Familiar themes, never ending variation, and relaxing play are the common denominators of countertop games.
The crackdown on happy hours and two-for-one bar specials has signalled a change ahead for bar owners. No longer is offering alcohol enough to satisfy customers. Accord- ing to Shaw, the bar of several years ago is not the same as today’s. This need to offer customers more has pro- duced a crop of fern bars, so named in the tavern industry because of the plants used for decoration. These bars are emphasizing food and entertain- ment, and countertop games are an important part of that entertainment.®
FRANK S ; CRANKS
By Seninsky
Frank “The Crank”
FIGURE 1
The new portable pocketsize butane soldering iron by P.K. Neuses, Inc., costs $29.50 and can run continuously for up to 60 minutes with an adjustable tem- perature range. Use it to impress your clients, friends, kids...
For the past two weeks our head technician, Joe Rossi, and I have been having a great time playing around with a brand-new portable butane- powered pocket-size soldering iron. (See figure 1.) Model N-413, made by P.K. Neuses, Inc., of Rolling Meadows, Ill., is now my favorite tool—it has no chords and no batteries. It’s been gratifying just to walk into a location and be able to solder wires back onto terminals with this small tool that looks like a seven-inch-long pen (it clips onto your coat pocket). It makes a technician’s life more challenging to
40
see how many games he can repair with just a few tools in his pocket, without having to run to the car or truck for the heavy tool box.
This soldering iron starts similar to the way a cigarette lighter does. The flint is contained in the cap. A small blue flame will appear and go out in two to three seconds and the catalyst will begin to glow. The tip heats up in about 25 seconds and can run contin- uously for up to 60 minutes. Use only commercially prepared butane gas from manufacturers like Ronson, Colibri, or Braun.
The temperature is adjusted easily (see figure 2) by turning the tempera- ture regulator from a low of 10 watts to a high of 60 watts. It is also static-free. This makes it ideal for use on sensitive components. We even have tried taking out a 35-amp bridge and had no problem at all. This is difficult, with even a 25-watt electric soldering iron.
The case is made of a rugged, heat- resistant plastic that cools down in just a few seconds so you can return it to
igniter
a (ee = eee = IH
B700-RT24
New solderer a favorite tool
your tool box or pocket after use. The cost of this fantastic eye- catcher is only $29.50! Joe says he got a new location just by showing the owner how this soldering iron worked. By the way, they also make a portable butane solder sucker so you can even change ICs now without a tool box.
Whac-A-Mole air-switch conversion kit
At the recent IAAPA show I came across a conversion kit that is a must for those who own and operate Whac- A-Mole games. This new air-switch kit sells for less than $100 a player station (see figure 3) and replaces the forever- troublesome microswitches. By using these air switches, downtime will be reduced significantly, and there will be no more broken wires on micros, broken brackets, or double or triple scoring caused by vibration. If the air cylinders become overloaded, the excess air is vented by these new switches. You can find out more about this kit from Phil Hilliker of Vari-Tech
Collet (Collar)
Housing
B700-RT32
FIGURE 2 A detailed sketch of the portable butane soldering iron. It makes road
work at lot of fun.
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
FIGURE 3 The new Whac-A-Mole air-switch conversion kit replaces the forever- troublesome microswitches and can reduce your downtime significantly.
Company, Grand Rapids, Mich. Thanks, Phil.
Letter from Barbados
Dear Frank ‘the Crank’:
I read your articles in Play Meter and find them very interesting, so | decided to write you. One of the machines I maintain is an Atari Kangaroo, and it has developed a pro- blem. The screen has traces of white which start at the images and go to the end of the screen. I believe the pro- blem to be in the horizontal circuit, but none of the adjustments on the moni- tor will solve the problem. I also do not have a schematic diagram.
Robert Moore Bridgetown, Barbados
It should not be a problem getting you a Kangaroo schematic, Robert, but it sounds like you do have a hori- zontal retrace problem, which would not be solved by an adjustment. I first must know what make of monitor you have in your Kangaroo. Atari had used at least four different makes of monitors at that time: Wells-Gardner; Electrohome; Disco (Advanced Datum Information of Taipei, Taiwan, Atari Part No. 139003-1006 B); and Matsu- shita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., of Osaka, Japan. I’d bet that you have one of the monitors from Taiwan or Japan, in which case you are probably better off replacing it by now anyway. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Per- haps someone from Atari will read this and get in touch with you.
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
Service tips
Gauntlet audio PCB assembly— There seems to be a high failure rate on Q1 (JDA2030 Amplifier). This causes one or both fuses F2 and F3 (2- amp) to blow. Hope you get your replacement Q1s from a good batch. I recommend you carry a few with you as you could suffer more than just the heat if your Gauntlet is down for more than even a few hours.
Choplifter—This fantastic conver- sion kit (and I’m not kidding that it is just great) can develop a condition in which the picture jumps slightly every few seconds. To obtain a completely stable picture, tie a 1K ohm-1/4 watt resistor between the +5 volts and the TV SYNC line. Don’t ask why this works, just take my word that it does.
News on Atari
With the success of System J, Indiana Jones, Atari is planning to introduce a driving game, Road Runner, by March ’86. And we all remember how good Atari driving games have been.
Word has it that Atari is working on a Pole Position II game that will have a theme similar to Gauntlet’s— four players having a driving adven- ture together, complete with a buy-in feature. Sounds terrific.
Thanks to Joe Rossi of Alpha- Omega for all his help. We can be reached at Alpha-Omega Amuse- ments & Sales, 6 Sutton Place, Edison, NJ 08837, (201) 287-4990. Let us hear from you.
As always, keep cranking. ®
. Se eee
HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN! BUSINESS LOOKS GOOD
ARE YOU READY?
ADVERTISE IN PLAY METER
904/488-7003
41 |
Obsolescence plays at
Be S
te - hen go ee ‘
Wurlitzer, I’m comin’ to join ya! As are thousands of jukeboxes—beaten, tattered, junked by their owners in favor of more contemporary models.
| a vision worthy of Sanford and Son—a home for the obsolete. But this time it’s the Jukebox Junkyard of Dean and Son in Lizella, a red-brick and white-wood-sided town in mid- Georgia, reminiscent of the old South, where there seem to be more churches than houses.
The business of Wesley, Roy, and Annie Dean is dealing with antique jukeboxes, but Roy Dean will tell you his real business is supplying parts to collectors.
“We sell strictly to hobbyists,” Roy Dean, leaning on a 1952 Rock-Ola, said. “You won’t see these machines in any location.”
Hobbyists collect jukeboxes that, for the most part, were built before 1970. Although their interest in the
42
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F ~w E> ; This 46 Wurlitzer is being restored at a cost of about $2,000. The work could take up to 200 hours, according to Roy Dean.
boxes might include selling them, they are not in the business to make money. And, Roy Dean swears, neither is he.
“You can’t make any money doing this,” he growled. Waving to a show- room—which doubles as a local dance hall—full of ancient memories, he added, “You do this kind of thing because you love it.”
Dean talks about jukeboxes the
way an auto enthusiast talks about antique Cars. “Took at that 7°46 Wurlitzer,” he said, pointing as he forged his way through his plastic and metal jungle. “We're restoring it for a guy in New York. He’ll have about $2,000 in it by the time we’re finished with it, and it might be worth about $3,000 if he were to try and sell it.”
For the fun of it
And while Roy Dean says of his business, “You’d have to be crazy to do this,” when he tells stories of how
Jukebox Junkyard
he and his father gather some of the more than 650 machines piled on each other in his warehouse, or the 40,000 78-rpm records he has shelved against a back wall, you can tell that if he is crazy, he’s just crazy in love with the jukebox and everything that comes with it.
“A while back we went to see this old boy that told us he had a bunch of 78s in his basement,” Dean started. “Well, when we went down there to look we found a basement full of black water.
“Now there was no sure way of telling how deep the water was. You could look in and see there was a light bulb hanging just under the rafters and that bulb was right above the water. So I figured it had to be fairly deep in there.
“Way across the water you could see a row of records on a shelf along the back wall. Again, the water was up almost to the records so we couldn’t tell if there was just one row. There could’ve been thousands of records under that water.
“We decided not to just try and wade through, but we did decide to get in there and go after that one row of what looked to be dry records. We figured the best way was to take a blown-up raft down there and work our way over to the records.
“T piled as many records as I could in that raft, and Dad started pulling the raft back to him by a rope we had tied to it, when all of a sudden things got sort of wobbly. The raft was losing air, and fast. Records were sliding into the water everywhere, but all I could think of was what I might find if ] wound up in that water.
“There was a mighty disturbance in that water as! tried to stay with the raft while Dad was pulling on that rope as hard as he could. When! finally got out, it wasn’t with too many records, but there was no way I was going back to recover any of the ones Id left
behind.” PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
The parts biz
The business of the Jukebox Junkyard is selling parts no longer available from manufacturers.
“Manufacturers are not in the business to supply parts; they want to sell new machines,” Dean explained. “They don’t stock parts for machines that are more than seven years old.”
Ten years ago, Wesley, who started in the coin-op industry in 1947 as a jukebox mechanic, and Dean, who had been working as a Rowe fac- tory representative, recognized the call for those parts and stepped into a new venture.
“We pride ourselves on our know- ledge of the machines and our abilities as master mechanics,” Dean said.
Most important to their trade, the Deans know parts. They know what parts are needed to get any old juke back jiving again, even if that means using parts that were built for different machines.
“A lot of these parts are inter- changeable, but most people don’t realize that because the manufac- turers weren’t about to tell anybody,” Roy said.
The Deans spend most of their time looking for parts. Wesley and Roy travel throughout the country, rumaging through operators’ ware- houses to see if there are machines they can buy to junk for parts.
“We usually just deal for the con- tents of the building and then throw away everything but the jukeboxes. I just got back from Alabama with 75 jukeboxes from a warehouse. There were pins and videos in that ware- house too, but we gave those away to the people that were helping us.”
Although the Jukebox Junkyard doesn’t supply operators with boxes for their routes, Roy said that at least 50 percent of his customers are opera- tors and operators’ customers. Some of them are trying to support their antique-jukebox habits by buying, restoring, and selling some of the finished products.
“The nostalgia thing is getting people into the old boxes, but not for use on locations. A lot of people go out and buy a box to fix it up. We supply them with parts, then sometimes step in and finish the job when they can’t.”
But Roy Dean is more interested in buying from operators than in selling to them. Many seek his repair exper- tise, and most get turned down. He’d much rather talk to them about clean- ing out their warehouses.
“It’s a lot more difficult to get parts than it is to sell them,” he explained.
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
According to Roy Dean, the Juke- box Junkyard is unique in the service it offers. Although he wouldn’t discuss the number of his clients or the amount of his annual sales, he said he does business in all states except Alaska.
“We have customers throughout the world—in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Mexico, everywhere. Truth is, were the only ones crazy enough to do this.”
The business may be more profit- able than Roy Dean is willing to admit, but one look at the front room of the Jukebox Junkyard revels that the love of what they do is more important to the Dean family than making a lot of money. You can see it in the shiny face of a restored °46 Filbin or in what Roy Dean calls the “generic antique juke- box,” his 46 Wurlitzer.
“It’s known as a ‘bubbly,’ and it’s the first thing you think about when you start talking about antique juke- boxes.”
According to Roy Dean, manufac- turers took turns dominating the music-machine business during the classic years. It was Wurlitzer in the 40s, Seeburg in the 50s, and Rowe in the 60s. But a look around the Juke- box Junkyard introduces the casual observer to many more manufac- turing names. Companies like Aireon, Mills, United, Gable, and Capehart all produced brightly colored and individ- ually styled boxes that today are the envy of collectors.
Still, no machine is closer to the Deans’ hearts than their 52 Rock-Ola, perhaps because it demonstrates the extent of their combined knowledge of the jukebox. For the Rock-Ola has been modified into a magnificent, almost-modern machine. Not only did the Deans completely renovate the outside of the box, including repairing the color cylinders and staining pieces of glass, but they completely modified the inside.
“It used to hold 25 78 rpms. Now it’s solid-state and plays 100 different 45s.”
Don’t talk to Wesley, Roy, or Annie Dean about video jukeboxes or compact discs. Frankly, these Geor- gians don’t give a damn. In the Deans’ world of ’37 Wurlitzers and 78-rpm records, that modified 52 Rock-Ola stands as the miracle of modern tech- nology.
It’s somehow reassuring that, amidst the turmoil of life in an era of technological revolution, Dean and Son does just fine by looking only as far ahead as its owners want to. @
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43
MATIONAL PLAY METER
Poll Information
The following are rankings of the top games in the coin-operated amusement industry. The games are ranked according to an index formulated from a regular survey of operators of coin- operated amusement equipment. Games not appearing on this poll either (1) did not generate a five percent response or (2) did not rank among the top 50 games in the country. The games are further identified by their general equipment classification type: Video, Pinball, and Novelty. The average index rating for all surveyed games for this individual survey was 77.
‘ fe I PII PORITT ON Te ANT ORE
Top Ten Games of December 15 Issue
Index Index ____Game/Manutacturer___—iRating ____—s Game/Manufacturer Rating | 1 Bang-On/Sega................. 317. ~+~*6. Mat Mania/Memetron.......... 135 | 9 Gountiel/Aiar ................. 273 7. Rush ‘N Attack/Konami ........ 129 | 3. Tic Tac Trivia/Merit ............ 155 8. Commando/Data East.......... 110 | 4. Paperboy/Atam.................. 151 9. 1942/Romsiar .................. 104 5. Comet/Williams................ 138 10. Demolition Derby/Bally Midway 102 Game/Manufacturer Dec. 15 Dec. 1 Nov. 15 Nov. 1 Video Pinball Novelty | 1. Hang-On/Sega Oly 302 248 — e 2. Gauntlet/Atari 273 _ — _ e 3. Tic Tac Trivia/Merit 155 — — _— * | 4. Paperboy/Atari 151 87 119 196 ° | 5. Comet/Williams 138 141 133 153 . ° 6. Mat Mania/Memetron 135 _ _ _ e | 7. Rush ‘N Attack/Konami 129 — — _ e | 8. Commando/Data East 110 126 114 126 &
9. 1942/Romstar 104 95 85 99 °
10. Demolition Derby/Bally Midway 102 185 140 134 ®
11. Hogan's Alley/Nintendo 99 95 99 103 e
| 12. Cheyenne/Exidy 95 — 85 94 e
| 13. Duck Hunt/Nintendo 94 96 93 102 e
| 14. Sex Trivia/Merit 91 - _ _ e
| 15. Ice Climber/Nintendo 90 127 54 5A *
16. Kung Fu Master/Data East 89 125 100 114 *
| 16. Space Shuttle/Williams 89 83 102 85 °
18. Shanghai Kid/Memetron 86 135 _ 134 °
19. Pole Position II/Atari 85 88 82 81 ®
| 19. Spy Hunter/Bally Midway 85 107 86 100 *
| 19. Karate Champ/Data East 85 96 72 92 *
| 22. Pole Position/Atari 82 73 63 76 *
23. 10-Yard Fight ‘85/Memetron 8] 113 82 60 *
23. Gimme A Break/Bally Sente 81 ae — _ e :
23. Eight Ball Champ/Bally Midway 81 154 11] 112 e .
NOTICE: The sole purpose of this survey is to determine on a regular basis the top performing games inthe country. Any attempt to use the results of this survey for any other purpose is unauthorized, wrongful, and misleading.
IAVI@MAL PLAY METER
Game/Manufacturer Dec. 15 Dec. 1 Nov. 15 Nov. 1 Video Pinball Novelty 26. Stocker/Bally Sente 79 61 -- 122 e 27. Yie Ar Kung Fu/Konami 78 83 76 86 ® 27. Triple Strike/Williams 78 — — — * 27. Sorcerer/Williams 78 84 108 79 e 30. Crossbow/Exidy 76 64 69 103 * 30. Crown's Golf/Kitkorp 76 96 5) 88 e 30. English Mark Darts/Arachnid 76 85 74 68 . 33. VS. Baseball/Nintendo 75 57 40 87 a : 34. Video Trivia/Grayhound 74 67 49 63 a 34. Punch Out!!/Nintendo 74 65 54 71 « 36. Street Heat/Cardinal 73 — _— 53 . 36. Hat Trick/Bally Sente 73 54 — ce e
36. Trivia Whiz II/Merit 73 — — — * 39. Bomb Jack/Tehkan 39. Eight Ball Deluxe/Bally Midway
tr 70 63 68 7)
41. Samurai/Magic
eee ee 42. The Games/Gottlieb 69 73
43. Marble Madness/Atari 43. Super Basketball/Konami
45. Trivia Whiz I/Merit 67 94 119 118 e
46. Two Tigers/Bally Midway 66 60 63 94 e
47. VS. Excitebike/Nintendo 65 79 65 72 e
48. Champion Baseball/Wico 63 42 50 47 e
49. Galaga 3/Bally Midway 62 7\ 47 68
49. Star Rider/Willialms 62 46 45 60 *
49. Sharpshooter II/Game Plan 62 50 47 — e
VERAGE WEEKLY GRO
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MANAGEMENT
Don’t manage
by checkbook 77
“Pye been in business 17 years,” the electrical contractor told me during our get-acquainted interview. “For the first time, I may not be able to meet payroll. I can’t figure it out. Busi- ness is better than it’s ever been, and we’re heading for a record year.”
“Fred is worried over nothing,” interjected the vice president of sales. “There is a payment due any day now that will put us right back in good shape.”
This is a classic example of man- agement by checkbook. You know how it works: when there is a hefty balance in the bank, take a vacation or buy those two new cars; when the balance is borderline, let the suppliers wait a bit for their money.
Thousands of small businesses fail each year whose balance sheets show them to be operating profitably but who run out of cash between balance sheets. Sometimes the owners and managers see the end coming and can’t find the answer, but far too often they don’t even know they are in trouble. For that there is no excuse. Don’t let it happen to you.
To stay on top of your operation, plot your important management numbers at least quarterly and pre- ferably monthly.
The plots dramatically point out the occasional spike or trough caused by that nonrecurring loss or that once- in-a-lifetime profit, but—much more importantly—the plots visibly alert you to trends as they develop, usually giving you the lead time you need to react to the trend, good or bad.
46
By Frank J. Versagi
Each business has ratios that are more important to it than to others, but almost every company should have a single sheet on which three key plots are shown simultaneously: current ratio, quick ratio (also called “acid test”), and average collection period (not to be confused with the accounts receivable aging sheet.)
Despite some ups and downs, the contractor’s trend of current and quick ratios was downward and the trend for average collection period was upward.
No one in the company knew these ratios. The numbers had neither been calculated nor plotted when I was called in because, “For the first time, I may not be able to meet pay- roll.”
“What happened beginning in 1983?” I asked, after I had plotted the ratios. “What changed in the way you were operating?”
It took half an hour of “nothing,” and “I don’t know” until I sensed what we should focus on. Until 1983, the contracting company had been pri- marily service-oriented and had done mostly residential and light-commer- cial work. Much of the work was per- formed C.O.D., so the average collec- tion period was comfortable—often fewer than 30 days, and way below the 45 days many consider the safe upper limit for a company that offers 30-day terms. Cash flow was no problem. The company was profitable, but over the years the choice had been to enjoy most of the profits, so retained earn- ings were merely adequate when the company made the decision to
Oe
expand into heavy commercial work to add another profit dimension and enlarge the company’s marketing posture and image.
Three characteristics of heavy commercial work are long completion times—weeks, months, and, occa- sionally, years—compared to hours or days for service work; longer payment periods; and retainage of five to 10 percent of the contract cost until the owner is completely satisfied.
So the average collection period jumped sharply to near 60 days, then to 70 days, and seemed to have plateaued at about 65. Simultaneously, because reserves that had been ade- quate for aservice company were not sufficient for the new kind of business, the current and quick ratios dropped.
Cash flow became a problem.
Fortunately, the contractor prices his work so that it is profitable. A loan, a line of credit, with this pricing allows him to pay and still retain a surplus with enough return to reach a com- fortable profit level within a year or two.
Had the company been marginally profitable, however, and also over- extended on credit, the plotted ratios would certainly have spelled one more corporate failure.
The lesson here is that had the company been watching those man- agement numbers it would have been alerted early in 1984 that something was up. A single spike or a single depression may represent a one-time situation, but two quarters’ movement in either direction usually signifies a call for action. e
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
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a aun 2a a
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\ 4
Wurlitzer SL 800
The Wurlitzer SL 800 phonograph provides 200 watts of power and eight speakers ina four-way stereo system. The 200-selection phonograph fea- tures an electronic popularity meter, a coin counter, and service checks.
Other features include a three- digit LED display indicating credit selection and the record playing, an automatic top-tunes selector of loca- tion hits, detachable stereo and dual- channel volume control with a cancel button, and plug connectors for an auxiliary amplifier, external speakers, and a microphone.
The SL 800 is prepared for wireless infrared remote volume control and remote selections from a standard wall box via an adaptor.
Now available with a bill validator, the SL 800 has a light organ with con- tinuous pulsating lights sound-syn- chronized during record play and an electronic selections storage and credit accumulator.
For more information, write Wurlitzer, 503 W. Central Blvd., Orlando, FL 52801, or call (305) 843- 4802.
- - = = - ~ - - = -
“<anangnte
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
Tic Tac Trivia
Merit Industries, Inc., has intro- duced an addition to the Merit line of trivia games, Tic Tac Trivia, which is the first to introduce strategy. A new graphic design makes the one- to two- player game stand out.
In the one-player mode, the player challenges the Professor—a built-in animated character. Each player can select his own category, and on his turn the open squares of the tic-tac- toe board are filled with different topics. The strategy factor of which square to play adds a twist. Incorrect answers score Xs and Os for the opponent.
Two players compete head-to- head by answering trivia questions to earn Xs or Os and high scores. Three Xs or Os in a row win the game, and the players get bonus questions.
Tic Tac Trivia contains a new 10,000-question set divided into topics of sports, entertainment, general interest, rock and roll, sex trivia, strange-but-true, and others.
Tic Tac Trivia is available in nine- and 13-inch countertop models, a 19- inch upright with a Wells-Gardner monitor, cabaret, cocktail table, anda line of full kits and Whiz Kits for instant conversions to certain games.
For more information, write Merit Industries, Inc., P.O. Box -5004, Bensalem, PA 19020, or call (215) 639- 4700.
NSM Concert 240
NSM has announced the Concert 240, a 240-selection phonograph with 2x200 watts of power and new, addi- tionally selectable master controls to save individual program steps.
When the lid of the Concert 240 is opened, it automatically switches to popularity status, starting with least popular selections, most popular selections, or according to rank. The optional NSM mini-printer allows operators to evaluate service data such as popularity, total plays, cash receipts, and music-box status. A self- diagnostic system indicates malfunc- tions on the display.
Other features of the Concert 240 include light effects adjustable to four speeds and 15 light variations, a coin mechanism for four coin values with infrared light barriers, three top-ten displays, vertical record storage, anda playing system with magnetic pick-up and low stylus pressure for minimum record wear.
Random plays and background music are programmable on the Concert 240. Options include the NSM mini-printer, wireless or wired remote control, a cabinet hood, an output transformer for an external speaker, consulettes (wall boxes), and the Ardac $1 and $5 validator with a stacker.
For more information, write NSM, 5207 N. Rose St., Chicago, IL 60656, or call (312) 992-2280.
47
Jetpack
Autorovo Kiddie Rides of America has announced Jetpack, its latest talking hydraulic ride designed for children ages two to 12.
Jetpack features rider-operated hydraulics that automatically lower at _the end of the ride, an electronic voice synthesizer; and rocket and gunfire - push buttons.
Repairs and maintenance are simplified on the ride by a single cen- trally located solid-state circuit board.
Direct inquiries to Autorovo Kiddie Rides of America, 400B Lans- down Road, Fredericksburg, VA 22404, (703) 373-2853.
Lott-0-Help
Lott-O-Help, a new biorhythth/ lucky-lottery-numbers countertop game, has been developed by SMS Manufacturing Corporation. Lott-O- Help players receive a personalized printout of their weekly biorhythm and all lucky lottery numbers for that day. It does not dispense lottery tickets.
Lott-O-Help maintains time and date on-board, and players entering the same information will receive the same biorhythm and lucky numbers from any given machine on any one day. After lottery terminals close for that day’s numbers, Lott-O-Help automatically issues numbers for the following day.
The Lott-O-Help game pictured is a prototype. Lott-O-Help will be avail-
able shortly in versions customized for
each state’s lottery. For more infor- mation, call toll-free 1-800-221-0138 (in New Jersey (201) 370-3030), or write SMS Manufacturing Corporation, 1000 Airport Road, Lakewood, NJ 08701.
Crazy Crane
Dynamo Corporation has intro- duced Crazy Crane, a game and mer- chandiser allowing players to operate the crane via electronic controls while racing against time. Songs, program- mable by a dip switch, are played dur- ing the alotted time.
Crazy Crane is the same size as standard video games and features a large product-storage bin and con- tinuous feeding of product. It accom- modates candy, capsules, and other items. Product is loaded from the front header panel, and all components are easily serviced.
Crazy Crane has a low control panel, graphics, and wrap-around glass for high visability. It can be located in grocery stores, discount stores, convenience stores, and game rooms.
According to Bill Rickett, Dynamo president and the game’s developer, Crazy Crane will be available in mid- January.
For more information, write Dynamo Corporation, 2525 Handley- Ederville Road, Richland Hills, TX 76118, or call (817) 589-7699.
(Gey Gee
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PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
Memetron, Inc., of Elk Grove Village, Ill., has introduced its newest conversion kit, Matmania, which brings professional wrestling to the video screen.
Matmania features all the classic ring techniques. Events are _ intro- duced by a ringside announcer, and one or two players alternate to battle each of five opponents for up to three minutes.
Timely use of the joystick and buttons maneuvers the player into position and activates standard and special moves designed to weaken the opponent and gain a three-second pin- fall to win. The player can also throw his opponent out of the ring.
After each win, the player takes on a new opponent for another period of three minutes. Should he defeat all comers, the player earns the right to wear the championship belt and pro- ceeds to another tour in defense of his crown. Sound effects of hits, moves, count-downs, and crowd cheers add to the atmosphere.
Matmania is a Taito America Cor- poration 1985 copyright licensed by Technos of Japan with exclusive North American rights by Memetron, Inc. This “King Kit” conversion includes main printed circuit board, P.C. board cage, connecting wiring harness, plexi marquee and CRT inserts, control-panel overlay, drilling template, joystick star, buttons, instruction stickers, and instruction manual.
For more information, write Memetron, 2350 Brickvale Drive, Oak Grove Village, IL 60007, or call (312) 595-2828.
HT ' ye
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
Videobox Networks, Inc., has introduced Videobox—a video juke- box that combines a computer and robotic and laser-disc technologies.
Videobox offers the feeling of the 50s in style, operation, use, and size, but plays 1,000 music-video selections. It stores up to 60 hours of program- ming on 30 laser discs.
An on-board computer monitor displays eight music categories: rock, R&B/dance, pop, jazz, country, golden oldies, and in-concert. Each category can be further indexed by performer name or song title. Video- box has its own special-user function modes; integrated on-board, self- monitoring display system; and other features such as accounting, service analysis, censoring, free plays, and bonus systems. All are accessed by the proprietor through an on-board, menu-driven computer screen.
Videobox includes a high-quality built-in 75-watts-per-channel amplifier and two three-way speaker systems. It can be hooked up to an existing sound system, an unlimited number of color monitors, and projection systems of any size.
For more details, write Videobox Networks, Inc., 944 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10028, or call (212) 696-4744.
Premier Technology has intro- duced ROCK, the company’s “new- look” pinball.
ROCK’s cabinet incorporates a new artwork process and asingle fluo- rescent tube for backglass illumina- tion to create a clearer image. ROCK also features a redesigned sound system that includes a second speaker to produce rock-and-roll sounds composed by songwriter Ken Hale.
For more information, call (312) 350-0400.
49
GLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
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KIT CLOSEOUT Thayers Quest
Proven Laser Conversion for
Dragon’s Lair, Space Ace,
Any Player
(1) Thayers Quest P.C. Board (1) Thayers Quest Laser Disc
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ALSO: Fluorescent Lamp, Wiring, Directions, Schematics, Art, and Promotional Material
Great Scott
Amusement Scott Edmunds (24 hours)
(619) 944-1843
50
NEW KIT CONTAINS:
(1) Thayers Quest Control Panel
Mechanic that can work on all types
of games—Electronic Tech that can
repair boards—Workers not man- agers—No drunks or derelicts—
Gulf Coast—Send references, salary desired, resume to: Play Meter,
Dept. DAC, P.O. Box 24170, New Orleans, LA 70184
PHOTO MACHINES
WE BUY AND SELL CHEMICALS, FILM, PARTS BEST PRICES GUARANTEED OVER NIGHT SERVICE IS YOURS WHEN NEEDED.
..sent today, delivered tomorrow™
ED HANNA
P.0. Box 290777 ¢ Davie, Florida 33329 305/474-5888
Established 1951
COIN & TOKEN WRAPPERS Contact for Samples/Prices ARMSTRONG SERVICE
10414 Stone Court eis well OH 45242
Video p eR ea CONVERSION KITS
Gunsmoke (Capcom)
Choplifter (Sega)
Tiger Heli (Helicopter!) ........... Call Mat Mania (super hot pro wrestling!) Call Rush’n Attack** (realistic action) ... 795 1942 (Romstar)
TNK III (Super Tank!!!) . Super low price Magmax (Transformers Robots) Low Price Savage Bees (2-player earning!)..... 595 VS. UniSystem (Nintendo F.K.* D.K.) Call Excitebike (F.K.* D.K.) ....... Closeout Inferno (hot 1-player action!!!) ..... 549 Cruisin’ (Hot driving game!)........ 495 Galaga III (out earns Galaga)
Crystal Castle
Gyruss** (like Galaga) F.K.* Stern ... Thayers Quest (F.K.* Dragon’s Lair) . Hyper Sports** (F.K.* Track & Field). 249 Vanguard Il
*F.K. (fast kit) includes: P.C. Board and control panel pre-wired for fast plug in. **These are trademarks of Konami®.
VIDEO CONNECTION 930 Jeffrey Lane, Dixon, CA 95620
ul 6/ Fos 31 89
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
FACO West A.M.O.A. Kit Report
Here’s how we rated the new kits that we saw at the show.
Estimated Suggested F.W. Vertical or Ratin Game Theme R.O.I. Weeks Retail Price Horizontal 1 Mat Mania Wrestlin 7-10 $945 Call V 2 Gunsmoke Gunfightin 9-12 Call Call V 3 Ring Kin Boxin 8-10 $895 Call V 4 Choplifter Shoot ’em u 10-14 $895 Call V 5 Terra Cresta Shoot ’em u 8-12 $895 Special V 6 Music Trivia Trivia 8- 9 $795 Special V orH 7 Tiger Heli Helicopter 10-14 $895 Call V
FACO West Specials: The following kits are priced for VERY FAST R.O.I. with very little depreciation with NO RISK (These games have already established themselves as good earners.)
FACO West Specialties: Well here’s our line up.
Estimated Suggested F.W. Vertical or Game Theme R.O.1. Weeks Retail Price Horizontal Galaga Ill Shoot ’em u 5-7 $695 $495 V Magmax Shoot ’em u 5-6 $745 $545 H 1942 Shoot ’em u 7 $795 $695 V Yi Ar Kung Fu Kung Fu 5-7 $795 $595 H Kicker Kung Fu 5-7 $795 $495 V VS. 10 Yard Fight Sports 5-8 $595 $395 H Trivia Master Trivia 5-7 $695 $445 VorH Road Fighter Driving 5-6 $695 $475 V Super Basketball Sports 4-7 $695 $395 V Ping Pon Sports 3-4 $595 $245 V Dragon Busters like Ghost ’N Goblins 5-6 $695 $595 H Crown’s Golf Sports 4-7 $795 $595 H Samurai Kung Fu 5-7 $795 $495 V
OTHER SPECIALS Atomic Boy—$195 @ Regulus—$295 @ Excitebike—$595 @ Bomb Jack—$345 @ Bank Panic—$245 Tag Team—$195 @ Seafighter (Poseidon)—$295 @ Return of Invaders—$495 @ Kick Start—$295 Tank Busters—$395 @ Exerion—$295 @ Pac-Land—$895
TWIN PAC SPECIALS
Galaga III & VS. 10 Yard Fight Super Basketball & Magmax Crown’s Golf & Road Fight $795 $795 $995
SPECIAL SPECIAL Yi Ar Kung Fu, VS. 10 Yard Fight, & Bank Panic — $995
USE R.O.I. & PRICE FIGURES FACO _10719 BURBANK BOULEVARD ONLY AS A GUIDE. NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA 91601 R.O.I. IS BASED ON A50/50 SPLIT. WEST 818/508-7902
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
2
INDOOR SOCCER |
Universal U.S.A.
ONLY 9299
Another of our great closeouts.
IS THAT YOUR NAME
THAT’S MISSING B52 52 5: ‘ee FROM OUR eee pee a SUBSCRIPTION eee si== oe A super sports game. LIST? Soy chee
om 1 to 4 players can play simultaneously.
JOIN | : Pp. OUR = A
GROWING & WA Kit Installs in Horizontal Rasterscan Game or ctessr zee a 7 and Includes: SUBSCRIBERS Joy Sticks & Buttons © Marquee Graphics Logic Board @ Control Panel Graphics CALL TODAY Wiring Harness @ Instructions Side Graphics @ F.C.C. Cage 504/488-7003 The Game Exchange PLAY METER
P.O. Box 09598 1289 ALUM CREEK DRIVE (our only office) COLUMBUS, OHIO 43209-0598 © 614/258-2933 CALL TOLL FREE IN OHIO OUTSIDE OHIO
1-800-848-1514 1-800-848-0110
PUBLISHED BY SKYBIRD P.O. Box 24970 New Orleans, LA 70124
FRANK’S CRANKS
_____NEW GAMES __SCONVERSION KITS ___ Gauntlet, Hang-On, aac $ 745 Ghosts ’n Gobblins, Chapive:............:. 875
World Series, Rock (pinball), Gi Sone ..........:. 950 Trivias, Pop-A-Shot Midiana jones ...... 2... 745
Hot Seat Simulator Rick Mill. 4. 2. 305 KIXX .............. 2. $1395 Mat Mania............. 825 Music Ilivia ...........-. 695
Call us today for complete King King’ 9)... 1... 875 list on all new or reconditioned videos INKS 695
and pinballs. Terra Cresta . 2... .. 243. 790 VS. UniSystem plus kit... 1095
Frank “The Crank” Many Reconditioned Pinballs
ALPHA-OMEGA-SALES
Call Marty, Joe, or Frank “The Crank” The Operator's First Choice 201/287-4990 ya 6 Sutton Place @ Edison, NJ 08817
=e
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ALL AROUND _ THE CLOCK... LOUISE’S HARNESS SHOP . Rt. 3, Box No matter when your he ae potential buyer reads ; Prattville, AL 36067 PLAY METER, ~ : Video Game Harness and
your. ad is there... : Donkey Kong Monitor working for you. Conversion Kit
Prices start at $15.9 Write or Call
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RNA
ADVERTISING 504/488-7003
CLOSEOUT
Now you can buy a super money making conversion kit at closeout prices.
ONLY $199.00
ATOMIC BOY installs in any horizontal rasterscan monitor game.
This complete kit includes the following:
* Logic Board * Wiring Harness * Joy Stick & Buttons » Control Panel Overlay * Marquee Overlay * Side Graphics * FCC Cage = Instructions
Call in your order now. At these prices our inventory of this kit will not last long.
The Game Exchange
1289 ALUM CREEK DRIVE (our only office) - P.O. BOX 09598 - COLUMBUS, OHIO 43209-0598 - (614) 258-2933 IN OHIO OUTSIDE OHIO 1-800-848-1514 CALL TOLL FREE j;.890.848-0110
PAYPHONES—$69
As extensions. Or ready to profit from $295. Genuinely F.C.C. registered! Or. an economical
model $164. Zero & info. options for free or 25¢. Free 911, timed calls. Built like a tank.
608/582-4124 or 2368 Anytime.
LEGAL GALAGA for $199 A.P. Engineering converts Atari Dig Dug P.C. boards into Galaga 24 hour turnaround 1917 Huntington Street, Suite 3 Huntington Beach, CA 92648
714/969-1243
available on 25 or more units. Clover Enterprises, Inc.
21 Langdon St. @ Everett, MA 02149 OOO TION SrGrAtOTS 617/387-4169 or 617/322-2033 ) J
WANTED | | Philadelphia Skee Balls, Model H with ¢ | PLAY METER CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING _ | ticket dispenser, Whac-A-Mole $1 & $5 = | changer by Rowe, Marble Madness, Hat | Play Meter’s classified ads are sold by inch ($30 per column inch with a 1 inch mini- ; y Trick, Buggy Challenger (sitdown), TX-1 | mum). Prepayment must accompany ad. You may pay by check, money order, Visa __|
(sitdown), Spy Hunter (sitdown) | or Master Card. Deadline schedules are available uponrequest.Sendadordersand |! For Sale: Triple Crane | prepay-ment to: Play Meter Magazine, P.O. Box 24970, New Orleans,LA70184.For | Wanted: Namco Shoot Away | more information, contact Joe VonderHaar 504/488-7003. | M&P USEMENT CO. | Write in or attach ad copy : 717/848-1846 | | _§ SP" | i | | zeae = Gas ee cee . | 10 Electronic Dart Games ¢ 7 ae ee ee 16 Reflex Testers (=|). sss COF'7'7TwW 1 year old | |
a EXCELLENT CONDITION | | FAIR PRICE | Kh eee : 516/821-2237 : : l Company Name — —— t— | Name |
© GED © GED © GD ¢ GD ¢ GED ¢ GED 6 GD ¢ GD ¢ GD ¢ GD ¢ GD + GD ¢ Se Sa a a eS eee | Address Ph , ELECTRIC TICKET DISPENSER | j ilies | Can be made to fit almost any ticket | hy... State DID Sn. Otel Enclosed oo : you want to vend. a os ea oe for : Visa Acct. No. Expiration Date: l
inet—$350. O.E.M. prici
oe inet» Suge | Master Gard Acct. No. os No of ikeiice | | | | | | |
© GD ¢ GD ¢ GD ¢ GED ¢ GD ¢ GD ¢ GD ¢ GD ¢ GD ¢ GD ¢ GD ¢ GD 0
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985 53
GUEST COMMENTARY
Year ends with good signs by Robert E. Lloyd
The 1985 year has been a most positive one for the coin- machine industry. It ends with many positive signs pointing toward continued improvement in 1986.
As president of the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA), the association of manufacturers and distributors, | believe the year also has closed in a very positive way. The merger of the Amusement Operators Expo (AOE) and the Amusement Showcase International (ASI) into the new American Coin Machine Exposition (ACME) is a very good thing for the industry.
The merger benefits everyone—the operator, the distributor, and the manufacturer—since everyone’s energies can be focused on one event. And the fact that the two groups were able to resolve their differences and join together shows a spirit of cooperation in the industry. This also is good for everyone.
Another pleasing sign of the industry pulling together to solve mutual problems was the productive and good-spirited meetings between the officers of the AAMA and the AMOA during the AMOA show in Chicago.
The first ACME show will be held March 7 through 9 in Chicago. The ACME show committee looked at both New Orleans and Chicago, but was forced to consider only Chicago due to space and scheduling difficulties this year in New Orleans. It was agreed, however, that the 1987 show would be held in New Orleans because there would be ample time for necessary planning.
We look forward to having bigger and better ACME shows each year.
[Editor's note: Robert Lloyd is president of Data East USA, Inc. ]
PLAY METER, December 15, 1985
¥ DINGY VINID§ O/NIY/ + INIA) © UINIDL* DINTAL SO INAL OINAL* VINYL *OINIAL
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WE CHALLENGE YOU TO BE THERE!
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es
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. CARTS
ULLSHOOTER Neraniil jJHALLENGE
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=
open | open mixed | womens singles || doubles |} doubles # doubles
Arachhait
©Copyright 1985
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