Play Meter

NEWS BULLETIN .,.. FLORIDA TAX UPDATE .. . Manley Lawson, chairman of the Florida Amusement & Vending Associ ation 's (FAVA) legislative committee, reports that on March 13, minutes before convening, the Legislature passed a bill more crippling th an the gross receipts tax law now in effect. Senate Bill 918 imposes a $100 per machine annual license fee for locations with five machi nes or less, $250 per machine for six or more. It makes the location owner responsible for the license but places "difficult and costly reporting require ments on th e machine owner," Lawson said . In commenting on the bill , he said it "simply sacrifices almost the entire industry to provide wi ndfall tax savi ngs to a few of the very large arcade chains in the state. In over 10 years of monitoring the Legislature, this is the most bl atant example of how money can influence legislation that only benefits the very few, wi th no regard fo r logic, fairness, how others are hurt, or even th e overall interests of the state." However, if a co mprom ise cannot be reached during the legislative sper :al session, promi ses have been made to revert back to the 7.81 percent gross recei pts tax law. FAVA president-elect Steve Piantieri says even that despised law is preferable to the ann ual license fee. We'll outline the whole Florida situation in a May re port from the FAVA show. The project would include entertainment choices of four casinos, a high-tech theme park , and a performing arts center. .,... SUSPECTED COUNTERFEITERS ARRESTED ... The New York State Police arrested Chang Yong Lee of Blue Bell , Pa., on Feb. 26 for allegedl y importing counterfeit printed circuit boards into the United States, accord ing to Bill Kidwell, AAMA director of enforcement. The arrest was based on a U.S. Customs seizure of U.S. counterfeit Street Fighter /Is. In another development, six operators in the Ottawa, Ontario, area have been charged with copyright violations. Multiple charges we re filed against the six by the Royal Canadian Mounted Pol ice after completion of its investigation, which began in December 1991 . They made their initial court appearances on April 2. Kidwell warned those attempting to import counterfeits that AAMA and its members are aggressively working with U.S. and Canad ian law enforcement agencies to prevent copyright and trademark violations. Operators who are not sure whether a game they're con sidering is counterfeit can call Kidwell at (319) 337-9618 for assistance. .,.. SCARE IN NEW YORK...The New York General Assembly and Gov. Mario .,... ATLAS BUYS MONROE ASSETS . .. At las Distributing has purchased Cuomo were uncomfortably close to bringing sole-source video lottery to the state in late March, but the New York State Coin Machine Association (NYSCMA) was abl e to quash it in time. Associ ation presid ent Ralph Ceraldi said things had been on track toward operator-i nvolved vi deo lottery when , during the last weekend in March , a push for sole-source came from out of the blue. Lawmakers, with Cuomo's blessing, were prepared to include video lottery proceeds in the April 1 budget (the beginning of the new fiscal year). But operators mobil ized and knocked the proposal out. "Now that it's not in the bu dget, we'll have time to educate lawmakers and show them that we're legitimate businessmen, not members of organized crime,'' Ceraldi said. "We can point to safeguards in the bill and ease their minds, as well as point ou t the benefits of operator-involved video lottery. I'm confident that this extra time will help us get in there. But I'll tell you , it's been a roller-coaster ride." He wanted to give special than ks to association lobbyist James Faraldi & Associates and operators Frank Galland and Jerry Respoli , all of whom have helped Ceraldi immeasurably fro m day one to the latest battles. the assets of Monroe Distributing 's Cincinnati office, effective March 16, according to an announcement by Atlas' Jerry Marcus and Ed Pellegrini . .,.. OREGON HAS FITFUL VLT START ... State-run video lottery got off to a troubl ed start in Oregon when communications stalled between term inals and the central com puter system on March 23. Five of six pilot locations were involved in the test start-u p. Dedicated phone line problems were blamed for the less-than-smooth debut of the program, which is expected to enroll 3,300 terminals in 750 taverns and restaurants throughout the state. .,.. GAMBLI NG MEASURES DIE IN WISCONSIN ... Despite recommendations fro m the governor 's blue ri bbon task force favoring expanded gambling activities, legislators failed to approve separate bills proposing video lottery, riverboat gambli ng , and dog track casinos in the legislative session that ended in Marc h. The vi deo lottery issue in particular became a political "hot potato" once Gov. Tom my Thompson proposed his own bill seeking 45 percent of video lotte ry proceeds for the state. Look for more in May, once the dust clears on this one. .,.. KAMA VISITS LEGISLATORS. .. Thirty-three members of the Kansas Automatic Merchandising Associ ation spent March 24 at the state capital contacting legislators and gaining support for video lottery. Over 200 contacts were made as operators strive to legalize video gam ing under a tightly regulated programadministered by the Kansas Lottery with coin machine operator involvement. ., CHICAGO CASINO PROPOSED ... Circus Circus Enterprises, Hilton Hotels, and Caesar's World-three giant hotel/casino corporations-have joined together to propose a Las Vegas-style gambling and entertainment complex on 100 acres in downtown Chicago. Mayor Richard Daley, a former opponent to gambling in the city, confessed to bei ng excited about the proposition . In the March 25 edition of the Wa ll Street Journal, he said , "Face reality. People need jobs." An estimated 10,000 construction jobs and at least 15,000 to 20,000 permanent jobs could be created, as well as a steady streamof tax revenue. Gov. Jim Edgar, however, has reservations about expanding gambling activities beyond the current slate of riverboats, race tracks, and a state lottery. The new Atlas branch will continue under the direction of branch manager Jerry Grotjan. Randy Cesco and all other Monroe Cincin nati personnel will remain in their current positions; in short, there won't be any changes at the branch . "The office has always done well under Jerry Grotjan , and we see no reason for that to change,'' Marcus said . The office will remain at 297 Northl and Blvd ., Cincinnati , OH 45246. Atlas, based in Chicago, has other branches in Indianapolis and Grand Rapids, Mich. .,.. ANDERSON TO SEGA ... Ken Anderson has been named director of sales and marketing , coin-op di vision , for Sega Enterprises USA. He has 25 years of experience in the industry, havin g worked most recently for Data East USA and also Leland , Game Plan, Chicago Coin , and Wurlitzer. "I am so pleased to have such a well experienced and highly enthusiastic sales executive leading our coin-op efforts,'' said president Tom Petit. .,... RUMBLINGS IN MICHIGAN... On March 18, Michigan Gov. John Engler signed an executive order banning all smoking on state property and in state buildings, as well as th e sal e of tobacco and placement of cigarette vending machines. It also prohibits Michigan prisoners from making cigarettes in prison , which was previously allowed, though they can be brought in. Candace Super, executive director of the Michigan Coin Machine Operators Association , says it is unclear how the Legislature will react to Engler's actions. It has kicked around vario us bill s restricting cigarette mach ines, but no final action has yet been taken. Engler, unfortunately, has made it clear that he will sign any restri ctive bill that reaches his desk, including a total ban. Stay tuned . .,.. GERMAN DISTRIBUTION FOR PREMIER ... Premier Technology has signed a deal with German distributor Tuning Electronic to handle Gottlieb pins for the German and Austrian markets. Said Tuning head Reymond Safft, "We are proud of signing a long-term co ntract with a company that has built successful pinballs for more than 60 years. Since the introduction of its System 3 hardware almost two years ago, the flippers of Gottlieb have improved so much ." .,.. SAYERS JOINS WILLIAMS-BALLY/MIDWAY . .. Lenore Sayers, who worked most recently as director of marketing for Sega Enterprises USA, has been named West Coast reg ion al sales manager for Williams-Bally/Midway. "We are indeed fortunate to be able to add Lenore to the Williams-Bally/Midway family," said vice president of sales Joe Dillon . "For almost 20 years, Lenore has proven that she knows th e game business and , most importantly, that she understands the needs of distributors and their customers." .,.. COULDN 'T QUITE FIT . .. The distributor turnout for this issue's cover photograph , being greater than anticipated , resulted in some not making it into the final frame. Play Meter and Wi ll iams-Bally/Midway apologi ze to those left out; maybe next time we can do a pull-out spread . PLAY METER MAGAZINE , April 1992, Volume 18, No. 5. Copyright 1992 by Skybird Publishing Company. PLAY METER MAGAZI NE (UPS 358-350) is published monthly, except for the two issues in January. Publ ishing 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-$60. Advertising rates are available upon request . NO PART OF THE MAGAZINE MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT EXPRESS PE RMISSION . The ed itors are not responsible for unsol icited manuscripts . PLAY METER MAGAZIN E buys ALL RIGHTS, unless otherwise specified , to accepted manuscripts, cartoons, art work , and photographs . Second-class postage paid at New Orleans, LA 70113 and add itional ma iling offices. POSTMASTER Send Form 3579 to Play Meter, P.O. Box 24970, New Orleans, LA 70184 . PLAY METER 3 APRIL 1992