ICMOA FORMS CAMPAIGN TO STOP VIDEO LOTTERIES • STATUS STOPS "GRAY AREAS" • MERIT STOPS
NEW WAY COPIES • JAPAN-BASED SEGA ENTERPRISES SOLD • DISTRIBUTOR SUES TO PLACE PRIVATE PAY
PHONES • 'DIGEST' TO MONITOR LEGISLATION • VIDEO BANNED IN SWEETWATER • JUKEBOX HEARING
SET • KOPPELMAN NAMED WILLIAMS DIRECTOR • BALLY TURNS BACK M.A.C.H. 3s • ROWE PRESENTS
VIDEO JUKEBOX • BALLY TO ACQUIRE GREAT AMERICA PARK • STAR•TECH/ DISTRIBUTOR WORKSHOPS
SLATED • VIDEO GAME CAPITAL FALLS • 'SPY VS. SPY' BECOMES GAME
ICMOA FORMS CAMPAIGN
TO STOP VIDEO LOTTERIES
The Illinois Coin Machin Opera-
tors As ociation ha activat d a
comprehensive campaign to stop
video lottery gambling in lllinoi .
The plan include
topping the
test of 300 video lott ry ma chine s
now sc h eduled to begin op rating
approximat ly August 1 in four
areas, including Chicago, Cham-
paign , Ro ck I land / Molin , and
Palatin . Long-rang obj c tive
includ preventing the p rman nt
installation of video lott ry ma hines
as a new gambling m chani min th
Il linois lottery system .
" The coi n-op industry ha n ver
before faced anything with th
awesom potential to wr k our
business as do s th video lott ry
machine . Basi ca lly, it will be the nd
of the amus ment bu in ss in
lottery locations that ar sel cted by
the stat of Illinoi s. Air ady, video
l ottery proponent have op nly
claimed they will repla ce coin-op
games with oin-op gambling ," aid
A lex M Connell, presid nt of th
ICMOA.
The l llinoi campaign includ s 10
strat gic a tion to b a tivat ed
imm diately. First, ICMOA ha noti -
fied all Illinois op rators about th e
negative financial co nseq uen
of
video lott ry gambling in a four-
pag mailing dated M ay 25 . More
than 750 operators manufa tur rs,
suppliers, and distributors were on
the mailing list.
I n addition, ICMOA ha s b g un
making key political and legi slative
6
ontacts in th Governor's Office
and th lllinoi G n ral Assembly to
build pressure to stop the video
lottery syst m. McConnell also
tat d that all I gal opportuniti s
will be as essed by ICMOA counsel
and appropriat
action imple-
ment d on b half of the industry.
Other ampaign actions include a
ompreh n siv public relation s
program that will b implemented
statewid with national coverage in
the print and lectronic media .
Coalition will b developed with
other as o iations whos members
will also b finan ially damaged by
vi deo gambling . And selected
citiz n and on um r groups that
oppos statewid gambling through
video gam slot ma hines also will
be contact d and m tings held to
develop additional political pres-
sure .
" W ' II pres thi campaign all the
way-to the highest level. It 's a
matter of survival for operators in
thi s state," McConnell said . " One
analyst has estimated that over a
two- to four-year period th state of
Illinois could order 40,000 to 80,000
of the machines. There are only
80,000 slot machines in the entire
state of Nevada . In my judgment, a
oin-op location will virtually dry up
overnight when a video gambling
ma chine is installed next door or
down the street. "
McConnell also asks for financial
support for the ca mpaign from
operators, manufactur rs , distribu -
tor , and suppliers. A campaign
budget has been established and
fund s will be controlled by the
ICMOA board of dir ctors and
audited by an outside accountant ,
he sa id .
" It's important to r cog nize that
Illinois i a test state. W e are the first
(continued)
STATUS STOPS ''GRAY AREAS''
Status Gam
orporation an-
noun ed that it has stopped all
manufacturing, s rvicing , and sales
of so- ailed " gray area " amusement
games.
Acco rding to I rv J ffries, president
of Statu s, "S u h gam do not com-
plement th
ompany's long-t rm
growth plans. The company's main
emphasis is now concentrated on
the international and Nevada
gaming markets." Status will con-
tinue to develop games for the coin-
operated amusement industry, and
in the n ar future , will introduce
two new video game products. •
PLAY METER. July 1 5. 1964