NEWS BULlETIN
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A 500-page "sentencing " bill passed by the
Tennessee Legislature has put the status of video pokers
there into question. Among the items lumped into the bill
was a section on gambling, in which the Legislature
" modified" the existing language to make the definition
more general. Though video pokers weren't mentioned
specifically, the bill makes it a felony offense to buy, sell,
ship, store, etc., a " gambling device" as defined in the
bill. Horse racing was a specific target mentioned by
name throughout, according to LaVerle Franzen, an
account executive for the Amusement and Music
Operators of Tennessee (AMOT}. The question, then, is
whether the Legislature intended implicitly to lump video
pokers in with horse racing without naming them, or
whether it was an oversight. (Franzen added that there's
been a push in Tennessee to do away with the machines.)
The new law, which goes into effect in November, puts
both operators and manufacturers in a holding pattern
until it's decided whether the law will be enforced against
pokers. The Legislature doesn't reconvene until January.
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Red Baron , having had its district court victory
against Taito overturned by an appeals court on July 18,
filed a petition for rehearing with the same 4th Circuit
Court of Appeals on July 29. "Basically, we believe there
are material fact discrepancies between the actual court
record and what was perceived by the judge," said Red
Baron president Bill Beckham . "We believe it was a direct
result of these inaccuracies that the decision was handed
down as it was. Once we hear the court's decision on
the petition , I believe we will then be better able to
understand the court's logic in its former ruling. We will
be in a better position to evaluate what our next step will
be." Beckham expects to hear from the court by early to
mid-September. He wouldn't speculate on a possible
Supreme Court appeal until the petition is decided upon .
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On Aug. 9, Nintendo of America was granted a
preliminary injunction against Blockbuster Entertainment
Corp. and various affiliated entities, just days after filing
suit for copyright infringement in the U.S. District Court
of New Jersey. The action stemmed from the
unauthorized photocopying of Nintendo video game
instruction manuals and their subsequent distribution to
Blockbuster's video rental consumers. "We will seek
damages to the fullest extent allowable under U.S. law
for any infringement of Nintendo's copyrights by video
rental stores," said Lynn Hvalsoe, Nintendo of America's
general counsel.
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Meanwhile, Nintendo of America has released a
new video version of the Williams pinball game, Pin Bot.
It's available for all PlayChoice systems. " This game is
definitely the best translation to video of a pinball game
that the industry has ever seen," said AI Stone, vice
president of sales and marketing. In other news
concerning Nintendo of America, the company has
established an "NES Network" division to develop and
market entertainment and informational network
products. Jerry Rutten bur will assume the newly created
position of vice president of network products. Look for
more on this latter item in the October "News" section.
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Smart Industries has received permission from
the state of Michigan to use the single, double, triple, and
jumbo models of the Clean Sweep crane there. Smart
received documented approval after submitting
information about the cranes to the Charitable Gaming
Division of the Bureau of State Lottery. In part, it said
Smart " meets the manufacturing standards (for cranes)
as authorized by Public Act 464 ... and is hereby certified
for use in Michigan ." Such states as California, Arizona,
New York, and Maine have previou sly approved Clean
Sweep.
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We'd like to remind pinball enthusiasts of the
upcoming " Pinball Expo '89," which will be held at the
Ramada Hotei/O'Hare in Rosemont, Ill. , on Sept. 29-30.
The event includes a tour of Premier Technology's
manufacturing complex, guest speakers, panel
discussions, and "Flip Out '89," a pinball tournament with
a new Gottlieb pin as the grand prize. For more
information, contact Mike Pacak, Pinball Expo '89, 2671
Youngstown Rd. S.E., Warren, OH, 44484; (216)
369-1192.
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Hilltop Distributing Inc. of Weirton, W.Va., has been
selected to represent the product lines of Valley
Recreational Products and Bally Midway Mfg. Also,
Hilltop is in the process of opening its second office in
Charleston, W.Va. It will be headed up by Rich Milletary
and his wife Karen.
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Elaine Ditton, president of Incredible Technologies
Inc., announced the formation of Strata Corp. The new
corporation will be involved in the marketing and selling
of IT arcade games. IT was responsible fo r the
development of the video kit Capcom Bowling. Strata's
first game, Golden Tee Golf, will be exhibited at the AMOA
show.
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Favorable comments about Atari's Hard Drivin'
have not been confined to the coin-op amusement
industry. Road & 7i'ack magazine, which has a circulation
of over four million, featured the hit driving simulator in
its August issue. " Hard Drivin' has been widely
recognized as a leading edge product," said marketing
director Mary Fujihara. "We feel it has added a
tremendous amount of credibility and awareness for the
coin-op industry."
The company Gametek is entering the coin-op
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industry with a bang- the first arcade translation of
"Wheel of Fortune." The game, set for introduction at the
AMOA show, will be available in an upright cabinet (either
dedicated or kit), countertop, or cocktail table version.
Another TV game show, ':Jeopardy," will be the follow-
up to "Wheel of Fortune" in January 1990.