international dateline
A.T.E. to Up
Security
Following complaints at the num-
ber of " outsiders" at the world's
largest coin machine exhibition,
A .T .E., held in London in January,
security for the show is to be
tightened .
The complaints, often voiced by
American visitors, were that it was
too easy for non-trade visitors to gain
access to the show and without
badges exhibitors often had no idea
whom they were talking to.
Following a survey of exhibitors to
obtain approval of outlined plans,
the show's organizers have now re -
vamped their security . Every visitor
will be issued a badge .
These
will be of various designs and will
indicate the status of the wearer .
Well in advance of the show each
paid -up member of the sponsoring
British Amusement Catering Associ -
ation will be sent two badges, for
himself and his wife.
All other
visitors will be urged by announce-
ments in the trade press to apply in
advance for their badges .
There will be a general admission
charge of $1 .80 for visitors obtaining
their badges in advance and $3 .60 for
those paying at the door. The charge
will cover the full three days of the
exhibition . Accompanied children
under the age of 14 will be admitted
free , but those over 14 will have to be
paid for at the full rate .
In a statement, the organizers said
that " every effort will be made to
ensure that visitors wear their
badges at all times while in the hall.
Additional staff will be engaged for
this purpose and to prevent un-
authorised admissions ."
Pool Tourney
Great Success
An estimated 5,250 players enter-
ed a pool table competition in
Manchester, England, sponsored
jointly by a local radio station and the
:: Hazel Grove Music Company, one of
Britain's leading pool table manu-
.. facturers.
~ Using 15 of the company's Super
5: League tables, the players competed
=
40
for trophies and a top prize of $1 ,750,
with $650 for the runner-up and $75
for the landlord of the pub the winner
was based at.
Pubs throughout Lancashire and
Cheshire took part , playing knockout
tournaments to find a pub champion
who moved on to the finals . In all 177
local champions took part in the
finals which took ten hours to sort
out.
For the final match Hazel Grove
had a specially-built aluminum-cov-
ered table . The winner was Mr.
William Turner of the Bridge Inn ,
Glossop .
Operating in Italy
by David Snook
On a train in Italy it is common -
place for a refreshments trolley to
come around serving drinks. Pay
for a cup of coffee and you may well
receive your change in the form of a
packet of candy and tokens for the
public telephones . On the express-
way tollgates the change may well
prove to be a small packet of
postage stamps .
This illustrates a basic problem in
Italy; the grave shortage of small
coins reflects the country' s chronic
balance of payments situation. It
goes without saying that the prob-
lem is badly affecting amusement
machine operators . The govern -
ment claims to be minting more and
more coins yet the shortage be-
comes more acute each month and
machine operators have had to
resort to having tokens made which
are sold to customers by site
owners . The tokens have the name
and address of the operator stamp-
ed on them and from time to time
they are sorted out and returned to
the firms which have issued them .
Banks are so short of change that
they are offering operators ten per
cent above the value of coins paid in
quantity .
This lack of change can be a
headache for operators, but it is a
small one for the routemen of Italy
compared to some of their troubles .
The Italians have a very healthy
amusement machine manufacturing
trade, rapidly expanding and doing
extremely well on the exports
market , yet their operating col-
leagues have probably the toughest
job in Europe .
What may be
operated is very strictly controlled .
The rules are so severe that even
free games on pinball machines are
prohibited .
Taxation is unbelievably high .
Added value tax on games is 30 per
cent and there is talk of it being
raised . (By contrast in West Ger-
many it is ten percent, in Britain
eight per cent . The operator must
also pay a six per cent added
value tax on takings and there is an
eight per cent entertainment tax on
the takings as well , operators paying
this on the total, not just on their
own share .
On juke boxes in
addition to Performing Right dues,
which are quite high , there is yet
another tax of about 1,500 lire
($3 .75) due each year .
The import of equipment is
almost out of the question because
the exchange rate of the lire is so
low. But this could be one of the
reasons for the healthy manufactur-
ing industry in Italy .
Operators in Italy are looked after
by S .A . P . A . R. , a hard -working
trade organization with many credit-
able achi evements to its history,
including the reintroduction of pin -
ball machines after they had been
bann ed.
Music is th e specialty of Ramano
Capanni of Floren ce, an operator
who started in the 1950's and who
ovecame all the troubl es when
pinball wa s banned . He operates
mainly 200 -selection Wurl it zers
changi ng the records monthly with
ten to 12 new discs . He prefers
larger boxes so that he can keep
older hits available.
Performing Right dues in Italy, he
says, are 57 ,000 lire per year (about
$70) for S .A .P.A .R. members and
about 30 per cent higher for
non -members. Phonographs work
on 100 lire (about 25c) for two pl ays .
" Making a juke box pay depends
entirely on how you operate it," he
said .
A neighbor of Capanni , however,
outlined in great detail the Italian
operators' problems . Luigi Fagioli ,
president of the Tuscany branch of
S .A .P.A .R., and a well-known op-
erator himself, related the views his
organization has put forward to the
Italian government.