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NEWS BULLETIN .,.. MIDWAY MFG. CRACKING DOWN ... Midway Mfg. has, according to a news release, "substantially expanded the scope of its battle against counterfeiters of its video games" in the past month. In a series of raids in America, Canada, Mexico, Korea, and France, with the assistance of local authorities, Midway seized over 1,000 counterfeit game boards. Two of the counterfeit manufacturers have been arrested, and a voluminous amount of documentation relating to the manufacture and global distribution of the boards has been seized. The recent actions are part of Midway's continuing efforts to strictly enforce its copyrights and intellectual property rights. In February Midway carried out successful seizures in Italy, while April and May brought broad enforcement actions in Taiwan. Midway says most of the endusers " have reason to know that they are profiting from counterfeit game boards, and (we) are preparing to launch major actions now against (them). Expansion of the campaign will now include arcades, conven ience stores, bars, and other purchasers and users." In other Wisconsin gaming-related news, the state's greyhound race track owners are seeking state support to survive. The price tag: $3.9 million in tax breaks and other considerations. There are five tracks in operation; three are in more desperate shape than the others. The. downturn in patronage may stem from an oversupply of tracks in the state, competition in the form of Indian casinos, and state regulations viewed by track owners as burdensome. ..,. DATA EAST ELEVATES GORMAN ... Jim Gorman has been promoted from international field service manager to international sales and service manager at Data East Pinball. He will report directly to executive vice president/general manager Gary Stern. Gorman has previously worked for the Game Connection distributorship in Illinois and has extensive experience in field operations. ..,. VISIONS OF REALITY SIGNS AGREEMENT ... The Black Diamond Group, a marketi ng firm in Southern California, has entered into an exclusive agreement with Visions of Reality to market virtual reality centers worldwide. Ken Stone, president of Black Diamond, says the first prototype units from VOR will be shown at AMOA Expo '93 and IAAPA '93. P ~oduction units are scheduled for December. Barbara Norman, vice president and general counsel to Midway, said, " When we catch an operator profiting from a counterfeit game board, the typical response is, 'I didn't know it was a counterfeit.' That response never worked and will not work in the future. Operators are hereby again on notice: you are responsible for making sure that you 're dealing with an authorized dealer. When we catch you using a counterfeit game board-not if, but when-we will do everything we can to stop further illegal profiteering. We are very serious." Also, Brian Duke, known to most in the industry for his tenure at Capcom USA, will assume the position of director of sales/VOR Group at Black Diamond. "I'm excited to be joining such a fine organization, one that's on the cutting edge of new technology for coin-op amusement's family fun centers," Duke said. For more information, call Black Diamond at (800) 487-6634 or Duke at (209) 836-0387. ..,. SOUTH CAROLINA SETS POKER RULES ... A two-year effort by South Carolina coin machine operators has netted results: the full Senate approved a Budget Conference Committee report that puts some teeth into the rules governing the operation of video poker games with in the state. The hefty $1,500 per machine, per year license fee remains in place for the legal devices (some biennial licenses, others annual). New regulations limit the number of machines to eight per location from now until July 1, 1994, and five machines per location after that date. Advertising and special inducements are prohibited, no one under the age of 21 can receive payouts, and license applicants must be two-year residents of South Carolina. In addition, machines cannot be operated from midnight Saturday until 6 a.m. Monday. A local option referendum , scheduled for the November 1994 ballot, will ask counties (46 total) to allow or disallow payouts. The next opportunity to reverse that vote would be in November 1998. While there is no maximum bet or win amount, there is a maximum payout of $125 per player, per 24-hour period. As reported in our April " News" (pg. 18), an influx of newcomers have entered South Carolina's video poker business, installing large numbers of machines (up to 30 or more per location) and raising public concern. Included in the new regulations is a non-refundable $500 fee on all Class Ill machine licenses issued between July 1, 1993, and June 30, 1994. This revenue will be used for monitoring/metering devices to track machine activity and give the state the ability to shut down machines in the event of problems or non-payment of license fees. ..,. PAN KUS BACK IN INDUSTRY ... Joe Pankus, who spent over six years as an officer of Seeburg, is back in the jukebox industry as president of Wurlitzer USA. " Wu rlitzer is committed to grow and offer unique programs to make its customers more profitable," he said. "It is a different music market than in the late '80s. Wurlitzer, maintaining traditional industry distribution, will change some of its philosophies to match this changing environment. We will offer programs that will provide good reasons for our customers to favor Wurlitzer." ..,. SOME DETAILS EMERGE ON AMOA PROJECT ... curious about what the AMOA Advanced Technology Committee has been working on for the past two years? Committee member Randy Chilton lifted part of the veil on the closely guarded project at the recent California Coin Machine Association convention. Turn to page 70 for a report on the show. ..,. SANTA BARBARA CLOSER TO REDEMPTION ... The Santa Barbara, Calif., City Council voted on June 6 to have its Ordinance Committee review, for amendment consideration , a 1925 ordinance that prohibits redemption . In November 1992 the city's police department ordered a halt to coinop redemption at a local bowling center, citing the ordinance as justification. It prohibits "slot machines and devices from which redeemable tokens may be obtained, dependent and variable upon the operation of the device." The bowling center owner enlisted the services of Bob Snyder &Associates, a games/gambling consulting firm in Walnut, Calif. They, along with other interested parties, addressed the City Council and helped influence the positive vote. ..,. NEW JERSEY ONE STEP CLOSER TO VIDEO LOTTERY ... On June 14, the New Jersey Senate Appropriations Committee passed Senate Bill 820 (video lottery) by a vote of five to one. The bill was cosponsored by Senators Ewing and Corman. Originally, the bill included the games of poker, keno, and blackjack. As passed, the bill eliminates keno from the game mix and does not allow games at area race tracks. "Although the redemption concept is not a victory as yet, the matter of the bowling center owner's favorable business reputation , I believe, became a key factor in receiving a favorable majority vote," Snyder said . ..,. WISCONSIN TRIBE CANNOT RENEGOTIATE ... Winnebago ..,. LAZER-TRON RELOCATES ... Redemption game manufacturer Indians in Wisconsin who wanted to negotiate with the state for a casino in the city of Blooming Grove (near Madison) have had a setback. U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb dismissed the tribe's lawsuit on the matter, saying the tribe already had an agreement with the state for gambling in Sauk, Jackson, and Wood Counties, along with another site in one of those counties. The Blooming Grove site constitutes a renegotiation. Local press quoted Crabb as saying: "At this point plaintiff (the tribe) must settle for the compact to which it agreed." The proposed casino in Blooming Grove was the subject of much debate in 1992. Lazer:rron has moved; the new address is 4430 Willow Road, Pleasanton, CA 94588. The phone and FAX numbers remain (510) 460-0873 and (510) 460-0365. ..,. DON'T FORGET YOUR FAX POLL ... We'd like to rem ind you to fill out those FAX polls and send them back to us (504/488-7083). We're interested in how you feel about the most pressing concerns in today's coin-op industry. The results will be printed in upcoming issues. This month's poll is on pg. 34. PLAY METER MAGAZINE, July 1993, Volume 19, No. 8. Copyright 1993 by Skybird Publishing Company. PLAY METER MAGAZINE (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. Subscription rates: U.S. and Canada-$60. Advertising rates are available upon request. NO PART OF THE MAGAZINE MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT EXPRESS PERM ISSION. The editors are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. PLAY METER MAGAZINE buys ALL RIGHTS, unless otherwise specified , to accepted manuscripts, cartoons, art work, and photographs. Second-class postage paid at New Orleans, LA 70113 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER Send Form 3579 to Play Meter, P.O. Box 24970, New Orleans, LA 70184. PLAY METER 3 JULY 1993