November, 1933
A U T O M A T IC AGE
17
The Penny Coin Chute Is Booming
Popularity of “Sportlands”
By D A V ID ROBBINS, President, D. Robbins & Co., Brooklyn, N. Y.
HE popularity of the pin game has
created an opportunity for “hustlers'’
to start in a new line of business,
best known as a Sportland. A Sportland
is a store with twenty-five or more pin
games, one or more diggers, and, if there
is enough room, several ping pong tables.
The largest income is derived from the
pin games. A small store, size fifteen feet
by thirty feet, will accommodate about
twenty-five pin games and one digger. A
store sixty feet in length will accommodate
twice that number of machines in addition
to several ping pong tables and two or
three diggers.
T
In New York City, there is a license
fee of $3.00 per pin game and $5.00 per
ping pong table. No license is required
for the diggers. Before a license is issued,
the premises must be approved by the fire
and building departments.
At this time, about twenty-five Sport
lands are being operated in New York
City. The majority of these stores are
owned by former pin game operators. Of
course, like in all other lines of business,
the man who makes the most money with
a Sportland is the man who operates it
intelligently. The most successful Sport
lands are those that are neatly decorated,
well lighted and equipped with the latest
pin games. In addition, there must be a
large display of premiums, both in show
cases, in the front windows and in the
side wall cases.
People play the pin machines not only
for amusement, but mainly because they
’wish to try their skill at winning some of
the premiums. A wide variety of premiums
must therefore be displayed, such as, elec
tric clocks, lamps, smoking stands, silver
ware, manicure sets, fountain pens, ciga
rette lighters, etc. The premiums should
appeal to men, women and children.
The scores of the different games should
be so figured that the costs of the pre
miums given away will be about twenty-
five per cent of the gross receipts. If a
smaller percentage of premiums is offered,
© International Arcade Museum
Dave Robbins
the players of the machines will become
discouraged and the result will be that the
play will drop off. Most premiums can be
bought wholesale for about fifty per cent
of the usual retail prices. Thus, when
twenty-five per cent of the gross receipts
is given away in premiums, the players
will be receiving at least fifty cents retail
value in premiums for each dollar they
spend.
In most Sportlands, penny machines do
the volume business. Some Sportlands
have a few five-cent games. However, the
writer of this article has noticed that the
five-cent coin chutes are gradually being
replaced with one-cent coin chutes. This
proves that a fast penny is better than a
slow nickel! On penny machines, it is
advisable to offer one, two, three, five and
ten coupons for different scores. The score
for one coupon should be made quite easy,
so that the player will receive at least one
coupon for nearly every penny played.
This will encourage the players to keep
on playing day after day, so that they can
save several hundred coupons and secure
a valuable prize. It is advisable to offer
premiums for one coupon and other small
amounts of coupons so that immediate
premiums can be given to transient players
who do not wish to save a large quantity
of coupons.
Steady patronage is the secret of the
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