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NEWS BULLETIN ..,.. INDUSTRY LEADERS MEET AT AMOA ... The presidents of AAMA, AMOA , and JAMMA held a "summit meeting" at the AMOA show in Las Vegas, a first-ever event seen by its participants as an important step in strengthening relations between the U.S. and Japanese coin-op industries. The meeting , which took place after months of planning, was hosted by JAMMA president Masaya Nakamura and conducted at his suite. Also present were Jim Trucano, immediate past president of AMOA; AMOA president Gene Urso; AAMA president Bill Rickett; past AAMA president Frank Ballouz; AAMA executive vice president Bob Fay; and Shunji lki , special assistant to Mr. Nakamura. The key issue discussed during the three-and-a-half hour meeting was counterfeit game boards and what each association could do to eradicate them. Said Trucano, " We at AMOA made it clear that the association has always been vehemently opposed to counterfeit games, and that we'll do all we can to prevent their importation and operation." Added Fay, " We all agreed that copied games give the industry a bad image, and that all of us should work together for the good of the industry. Hopefully there will be follow-up meetings to address other issues as they arise." Look for more coverage of this meeting and the issues discussed next month. ..,.. GRAY AREA GAMES OUT IN LOUISI ANA ... With the Louisiana Lottery now in full swing , the La. State Police has made it clear: get rid of your gray area video poker machines or face a stint in jail. Possession of the machines is a felony punishable by up to 10 years at hard labor. "Any video poker machines in lounges and bars are illegal and have to be destroyed or removed from the state," said Capt. Ronnie Jones of the State Police. "We're not going to kick any doors down , but when we determine there are machines in place, we are going to seek to have those machines destroyed or removed. The custodians of the machines are subject to arrest." A starting date for legalized video poker in Louisiana has not been set, but it's expected to be spring or mid-1992. Background checks will be done on those seeking licenses to operate the machines, which will be connected to a central computer system. ..,.. NEVADA FORMS STATE ASSOCIATION ... Nevada became an official member of the state association family at the AMOA show in Las Vegas. Twenty-three charter members of the Amusement and Vending Operators of Nevada, a non-profit corporation , attended the organizational meeting and ratified the bylaws. The slate of officers consists of the following : Doug Minter of Tip:rop Amusement Co. in Carson City, president; Don Singer of Southern Desert Vending in Las Vegas, vice president; Roger Brown of Starcade Amusements in Sparks, treasurer ; and Randy Cottrill of Southwest Services in Las Vegas, secretary. They were also elected to the board of directors along with Leon Cauchois of Palisades Amusements. The next AVON meeting will take place on Dec. 3 in Tonopah , Nev. For more information, contact Minter at (702) 882-4943. ..,.. ROWE HAS SHOT AT BURGER KING LOCATIONS ... Jukebox manufacturer Rowe International has received a letter from Burger King that approves solicitation of Burger King's approximately 7,200 franchise-owned stores. Rowe has opened the door; it's up to individual coin machine companies to step inside, so to speak, by negotiating deals for placement of the jukeboxes. One company, AMA Distributors/Lucky Coin of Metairie, La. , has al ready reached an agreement with 71 franchise-owned Burger Kings to place Rowe CD boxes in their restaurants. For more on the Rowe-Burger King arrangement, turn to the Rowe distributor meeting story on page 58. In other news concerning Rowe, the company 's Jerry Gordon confirmed that Oct. 1 was the target date for sale of the RoweDedham and Rowe-Los Angeles distributorships to H. Betti Industries. Rowe-Dedham will become part of New England Coin-Op, while Rowe-Los Angeles will be rolled into Betson Pacific. ..,.. CHANGES AT NYSCMA . .. The firm of Matterson & Associates will no longer serve as executive directors of the New York State Coin Machine Association (NYSCMA). Association president Ralph Ceraldi of C &C Vending in Bohemia, NY , says there won't be a replacement named. " The board members have decided that we're going to take a more active role in the running of the association ," he said. Those with questions concerning NYSCMA can contact Ceraldi at (516) 589-8111 . ..,.. DISTRIBUTORSHIPS MERGE ... 1002 Distributing Inc. , based in Delavan , Wis. , and Moorehead, Minn.-based Renegade have merged. Equipment associated with Indian compacts and riverboat gambling will be their focus. Look for more details on the merger next month. ..,.. KRAMER OPENS NEW SALES OFFICE ... Kramer Mfg. has opened a sales office in Atlanta, Ga. , that will be headed by vice president of sales H.A. Devlin . The company is headquartered in Croydon , Pa . " I'm very excited about the growth of the company as a whole,'' said president Phil Cornick. " We are all proud to have H.A. Devlin come aboard; I'm sure he will do a great job in the Atlanta office. The industry should expect a number of exciting new products to be launched from that office in the near future." Said Devlin, "I'm very much looking forward to working with the Kramer team. I'm particularly excited about launching the new laser disc trivia quiz game (debuted at the AMOA show) . I expect to be offering it to distributors in the very near term." ..,.. BIG AIR HOCKEY TOURNEY SET ... The 1991 U.S.lnternational Air Hockey Championships, sponsored by Dynamo, will take place Oct . 12-13 at Keystone Family Entertainment Center in San Jose, Calif. Players will compete for $12 ,000 in cash and prizes, with the first place winner receiving a Dynamo deluxe air hockey table. For more information , contact Dynamo at (817) 284-0114 or Keystone at (415) 691-0335. ..,.. NSM-U.K. HIRES BRISTOW ... NSM-U.K., distributor of Valley Recreation Products' Royal Electronic Dartes, has signed Eric Bristow to a five-year contract to promote that game-and electronic darts in general-in the United Kingdom. "I 'm sure that electronic darts will become a major force in the United Kingdom,'' he said. " It's the same game as steel-tip darts; only the surface is different. The fact is that steel-tip darts have declined in the United Kingdom in recent years. It 's time for something new to get a brand-new audience involved and give the game fresh appeal. That will happen with electronic darts." Said Valley president Chuck Milhem , "The signing of Eric Bristow and the promotion commitment by NSM/Loewen in the United Kingdom could mean the development of what we all believe to be the biggest market potential outside of the United States." ..,.. AAMA TOUR REMIND ER ... Those planning to attend the welcoming receptions in conjunction with AAMPl.s South American product tour should respond to the appropriate American embassy, as each one is handling the invitations. To set up individual business meetings, contact AAMA at (703) 494-2758; the FAX is (703) 494-0616. The schedule: Oct. 29 in Santiago, Chile ; Nov. 1 in Buenos Aires, Argentina ; Nov. 4 in Sao Paulo, Brazil ; Nov. 7 in Bogota, Colombia; and Nov. 10 in Caracas, Venezuela. PLAY METER MAGAZINE , October 1991 , Volume 17, No. 11 . Copyright 1991 by Skybird Publishing Company. PLAY METER MAGAZINE (ISSN 1048)(UPS 358-350) is published monthly, except for the two issues in January. Publishing office: 6600 Fleur de Lis, New Orleans, LA 70124 . MAILING ADDRESS : P.O. Box 24970, New Orleans, LA 70184, USA. Phone: 504/488-7003 ; FAX 504/488-7083. For subscriptions : 504/488-7003. Subscription rates : U.S. and Canada-$50. Advert ising rates are available upon request. NO PART OF THE MAGAZINE MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION . The ed itors are not respons ible for unsol icited manuscripts. PLAY METER MAGAZINE buys ALL RIGHTS, unless otherwise specified , to accepted manuscripts, cartoons, art work , and photograph s. Secondclass postaqe paid at New Orleans, LA 70113 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER Send Form 3579 to Pia Meter, P.O. Box 24970. New Orleans . LA 70184. PLAY METER 3 OCTOBEll 1991