Guest Editorial
Operators can join
a variety of organizations
By Allen }. Fagel
AVMDA General Counsel
If you are not a memberoftheAMOA, I urge you to join. If you are fortunate enough to be in
a state that has a state association, you should be a member. Contact all the other operators in
your area and form your own local organization. The whole idea is to get involved with others just
like yourself who are faced with the very same problems you are faced with .
Ralph C. Lally II
Up Front
November 1, 1982
While I certainly join with you in urging operators
to join AMOA and their local associations (Up Front,
November 1, 1982), I believe you owe your readers an
obligation to point out that there are other organi-
zations, particularly the Amusement and Vending
Machine Distributors Association, that, if they be
eligible, both merits as well as requires their joining.
AVMDA is a relatively new organization, but it has
actively assisted both distributors-as well as operators
(when specifically sponsored by a member distrib-
utor)-in fighting the insidious legislation of which we
are all so aware.
It was AVMDA which set up a legislative assistance
service whereby attorneys for member distributors-
or attorneys for operators, when requested by a mem-
ber distributor-could obtain necessary and pertinent
case law, legal research, and related materials to repre-
sent realistically and rationaily the operators (those
who are really on the "firing line") in arguing against
the passage of restrictive local legislation .
It was, in fact, a member distributor of AVMDA,
through materials and programs developed by AVMDA ,
that provided the legal and financial assistance to an
operator which, we believe, was the kind of assistance
that made the difference in a recent court ruling that
took place in Cook County, Illinois (Chicago). For the
first time in this area, it declared a local ordinance
(which contained all of the classical restrictions on
arcades) unconstitutional.
Additionally, as recently as two weeks ago,
AVMDA furnished materials to an attorney repre-
senting an operator in Muncie, Indiana (who con-
tacted the association through a member distributor) .
Those materials-along with the efforts of a number of
operators, location owners, and distributors-caused
the municipality to refrain from taking any action
relating to coin-operated amusement devices.
I am certain you will agree this success is the
cooperation of all associations, not just the efforts of
one association. If all segments of our industry work
together, we will prevail against the restrictive and pro-
hibitive legislation being proposed in many munici-
palities throughout the country .
A VM DA is a relatively new organization_, but it has actively
assisted both distributors_, as well as operators (when
specifically sponsored by a member distributor) in fighting
the insidious legislation of which we are all so aware.
'
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PLAY MmP.. December 1. 1982