Play Meter

Issue: 1983 June 15 - Vol 9 Num 11

sented the story. Obviously our infor-
mation did not come from a company
news release, but rather from an
unofficial source within Sega.]
Letters to
the editor • • •
Opinion on gray areas
Everyone remembers the famous
riddle "B lack and white and read all
over," the a nswer being of course, a
newspaper.
So, why are the so-called "gray area"
games called gray? Is it because they
iastelessr article
I was disgusted by the article con-
cerning Len Wisz of Gremlin in your
AOE issue (April 15, p. 41).
Whoever acted as a spokesman for
Gremlin showed a complete lack of
taste and professionalism. l 'm sure
that Sega ( Gremlin does not intend to
conduct its business in this manner.
By publishing this tasteless news
release, Play Meter more than matched
Gremlin's stupid ity . I hope that both
of you will quickly issue an apology to
Mr. Wisz.
Incidentally, Len Wisz is one of the
most intelligent, likeable, and pro-
fessional marketing men that I've ever
met in this industry. There are many of
us who wish him all the best in his new
endeavors.
Brian Warkentin
President
Intrepid Marketing Inc.
Los Altos, California
[EdiTor's Note: We agree wiTh your
characterization of Len Wisz as one of
The indusTry s capable managers and
hope thaT he'll stay wiTh The coin-op
amusemenT business. Many companies
could benefit by his abilities and
expertise.
It is important To note, however,
that the story said nothing about
imcompetence. Rather, it stated that
Wisz and his superior had "personal
and professional differences."
It is true that corporate releases
rarely disclose that a departing
employee has been fired. He has
"resigned to pursue other interests"is a
common company exp lanati on
whether or not that is actually The case.
It is only fair to say that Sega was
just as disturbed as you on how we pre-
PlAY METER. June 15, 1983
are in-between black , which probably
means an automatic payoff gambling
device, such as a slot machine, and
white , which represents a I 00 percent
amusement video game, such as the
famous Pac-Man?
Rather than call these games gray
area games, I would have to say they
are "subterfuge" games, simply
because , with the help of your friendly
bartender, clerk, or cashier, they can,
at an instant's notice, become I 00
percent gambling devices and, of
course, make money accordingly.
Please don't think for one minute
that this writer is a reformer. In fact
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7
the opposite is true. In my lifetime I
have been known to make quite a few
bets on football and perhaps was the
only Tulane University football player
in history to have read the racing form
on the bench.
Furthermore, I have been an advo-
cate of legalized gambling in my own
state for many years and have written
many articles, letters, and even made
speeches at the University of New
Orleans advocating legalized gaming.
Therefore, I do believe that I am well
qualified to speak on the gray area
games from my many years of experi-
ence.
The gray area games, if legalized by
state legislators and allowed to legally
award prizes in money, merchandise,
or both, and if they were well regulated
and allowed to run in places where
minors do not frequent, then these
games could be wonderful sources of
revenue for the states, various cities,
and towns .
But, run as an illegal subterfuge,
sneak type operation, any and all
operators, distributors, and anyone
else who fools with the games is asking
for trouble . Take it from one who
knows! When you operate any kind of
subterfuge gaming device, an operator,
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Cash in on the booming health and fitness
market.
When customers walk by the flashing red lights on a HEART RATE
machine, they just can't pass up the chance to do a quick pulse check.
Whether it's for health, aerobics, or just plain curiosity, people are
fascinated to find out their heart rate. If a spouse or friend is along,
they'll want to drop in a quarter to take theirs and compare, and best of
all, they often use their machines regularly to monitor their progress.
Customers appreciate the service.
Retailers appreciate the profits.
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High return in just one square foot of space
Can be placed virtually anywhere
Fully warranted 120 days
Quality and accuracy
A Few Facts!!
• Both you, the operator, and the location owner immediately begin to realize a
high CASH return.
• Typically these machines will return to the operator from $100 to $200 per
month. In a matter of a few months you will have a 1 00% return on your
investment.
• Ideal locations abound and are easy to obtain. Malls, restaurants, hotels &
motels, health food stores, and supermarkets are just a few of the many
locations available.
• The machines have no product to supply and require no regular service. Sim·
ply stop by periodically and empty the coin box. The unit has a tamperproof
electronic counter to provide monitoring of collections.
SALES REPRESENT A liVES: Western Office:
Eastern Office:
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distributor, or location owner is sub-
ject to arrest , harrassment, surveillance
by any and all law enforcement bodies,
including the city , county, and state
police; the FBI; the CIA; the IRS; the
Crime Commission; U.S . marshalls;
and believe it or not, postal employees.
They were used to get payoffs on bingo
pinball games throughout Louisiana
and Mississippi 12 years ago .
So, my advice to you is, unless you
can run these games with perfect
safety, under a license - unless you can
go to bed at night happy in the thought
that your games are not subject to con-
fiscation and you and your locations
not subject to arrest- then I say oper-
ate all the gray area games that you can
put out.
But, until such times come, don't
operate these games. Please, don't
endanger the livelihood of thousands
of operators, location owners, manu-
facturers, and everyone connected
with the industry who is manufac-
turing, operating, and distributing
innocent amusement video games that
do not have any kind of gambling
theme .
Louis Boasberg
New Orleans Novelty Co.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Slmutron praises article
We appreciate the fine article on our
company in your April I issue (p .32) .
It has generated a tremendous interest
in our product. We understand that
your staff has also been busy forward-
ing several phone calls to our corporate
office. We appreciate this extra work
on their part.
You may want to inform your
readers that they can contact us direct
by calling 619 /758-1353 or by writing
Simutron Inc., 956 Vale Terrace,Suite
209 , Vista, CA 92083.
Again, we would like to thank you
for the professional manner with
which you and your staff handled the
article on our company
Grant J. Hallstrom
Executive Vice President
Simutron Inc.
Kurz Kasch reprints dating from
March I, 1981 through August
1982 are available from Play
Meter in sets only for $20 (pre-
paid).
PLAY METER. June 15. 1983

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