Play Meter

L NEWS BULLETIN .,. TAX SEMINAR SET ... AMOA will stage an income forecast- .,.. CHANGES AT MERIT . . . David Rubinstein has left his position ..I as Merit Industries' vice president of sales to pursue other interests, according to president Peter Feuer. Dave Myers has been promoted from sales operations manager to fill Rubinstein's position. ing seminar on Wednesday, June 23, at the Chicago O'Hare Hilton Hotel. The time is from 1-5 p.m. Registration is limited to 150 participants at a cost of $125 per person . This important depreciation seminar will explain "how to make money by cutting your video game-buying budget by 12 percent-and buy just as many games." It comes on the heels of a tax victory by AMOA president Craig Johnson and his company, Tataka. He received a private letter ruling by the IRS that allows Tataka to use the income forecasting method for machine depreciation. To learn how this ruling affects all operators, secure your spot in Chicago. Send in the registration form sent by AMOA immediately; registrations will not be accepted over the phone. .,.. INCREDIBLE TECHNOLOGIES SETTLES SUIT ... On May 13, after two weeks of trial in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Incredible Technologies obtained a $1.3 million settlement of its lawsuit against Atlas Distributing, Ed Pellegrini, and P & P Marketing Inc. A unique feature of the settlement was the signing of a letter of apology that affirmed the " honesty and integrity" of Incredible Technologies. In the course of the litigation, accusations were made against the company that were retracted by the letter. Incredible Technologies filed the lawsuit in January 1990 to recover money owed to the company and to protect intellectual property rights to its computer hardware and software. Founded in 1985, Incredible Technologies designs, develops, and produces virtual reality systems, point-of-purchase electronics, engineering development tools, and , most notably, computer-based games that are manufactured and sold through Strata Group Inc. Its line of video arcade games includes Capcom Bowling and Time Killers. .,.. AAMA ELECTS OFFICERS, BOARD ... At its annual meeting on May 17, AAMA elected the following officers: Steve Koenigsberg of State Sales & Service, president; Aus Strahan of NSMAmerica, vice president; Frank Gumma Jr. of American Vending Sales, secretary; Dave Patterson of Sun Belt Amusement & Vending, treasurer; Marty Glazman of Kaneko USA, assistant secretary; and Rick Kirby of New England Coin-Op, assistant treasurer. Koenigsberg is the first distributor ever elected AAMA president. Joining these six officers on the board of directors are Rich Babich of Colorado Game Exchange; Frank Ballouz of Fabtek; John Blouin of James Industries; Bill Cravens of Leprechaun Inc.; Ray Galante of Music-Vend/Dunis Distributing; Tom Keil of SNK Corp. of America; Hide Nakajima of Atari Games Corp.; Alan Schafer of Valley Recreation Products; Bill Rickett of Dynamo (past president's council); and Joe Robbins of Sega Enterprises (president's advisory council). "Engaging in a lawsuit is a strain on any size company, but it was particularly costly to us in terms of time and money," said Elaine Ditton, president and chief executive officer of Incredible Technologies. " We proved our case and are satisfied with the settlement. Now we want to move forward and concentrate on making excellent computer-based game products." .,.. SHOW-ME STATE GETS DISTRIBUTOR ... There's a new distributorship in Missouri: Mandina Distributing in Raytown. The company specializes in vending and amusement equipment, new and used. Bill Mandina is the owner/president; Dan Mandole is the sales manager. In other news concerning AAMA: • Director of investigations Bill Kidwell is retiring in July; his replacement is Richard Trindle, who has over 30 years of experience with U.S. Customs. "Trindle's experience with fraud investigations ... will make AAMA's enforcement program even more effective," said executive vice president Bob Fay. During his five years with AAMA, Kidwell worked hard to decrease the flow of counterfeit boards. " Bill's experience and dedication have made him a valuable part of the staff; he will be missed," Fay said. • The team of Elliott Portnoy, Adam Ruttenberg, and Karin Walsh of Arent Fox Kinter Plotkin & Kahn have been retained to represent AAMA in Washington, D.C. "AAMA's government relations program will be especially enhanced by Portnoy's background and experience," Fay said. " Prior to attending Oxford University, Elliott worked on the staff of the U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee, where he was actively engaged in an array of legislative matters. Mandina Distributing currently represents American Laser Games, Amutronics, Coinco, Dixie-Narco, Great American Billiards, Pioneer, Playfair Shuffleboard, and U.S. Games. The address is 9906-A East 53rd St., Raytown, MO 64133; the phone number is (816) 353-7115. .,.. SEGA HIRES SHIPLEY ... Doug Shipley is the new national sales manager for Sega Enterprises' coin-operated games division. He's worked previously for Sports Sciences of Ohio and Cleveland Coin International. .,.. WILNER PASSES AWAY ... Play Meter would like to extend our condolences to the family of Lou Wilner, who died of cancer on April 5. He was 77. Wilner's coin-op career began in 1948, when he served as commisary officer at Maryland's Fort Meade. His job included overseeing the operation of slots. After leaving the service Wilner went to school and obtained a law degree, but he decided to bypass the legal profession and instead made the coin machine business his career. In 1968 Wilner started Willow Enterprises Inc., the Glen Burnie, Md.based company that serves the states of Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. ''AAMA's presence in Washington is maintained, in part, by attending a multitude of coalition meetings. Elliott will effectively represent AAMA at these meetings as well as on the Hill." • Immediate past president Bill Rickett was named the 1993 recipient of the Joe Robbins Award at the association's annual legislative conference dinner. It's given for outstanding participation in, and contribution to, the coin-op amusement industry. Rickett was chosen unanimously. " Under Bill's leadership the association increased its membership from 70 companies in 1991 to over 115 in 1993," Robbins said. " He's also been instrumental in helping to establish a solid international program and working relationships with other international organizations." Rickett also presented this year's AAMA President's Award to Frank Gumma Jr., vice president of American Vending Sales. " Frank is a very deserving recipient of this award," Rickett said. "He's a dedicated AAMA member who goes the extra mile to ensure that AAMA programs and events are successful." " My father was a very well-respected man in the coin machine industry," said son Larry Wilner, who's run Willow Enterprises for the past nine years. " He gave a lot of people their start, and he will be sorely missed." .,.. STERN PROMOTED ... And finally, congratulations to Gary Stern, executive vice presidenUgeneral manager of Data East Pinball, who has been promoted to the board of Data East Pinball and Data East USA. Look for coverage of the company's Jurassic Park unveiling party in this issue. PLAY METER MAGAZINE, June 1993, Volume 19, No. 7. 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: PO. 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 PERMISSION. The editors are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. PLAY METER MAGAZINE buys ALL RIGHTS, unless otherwise spec ified, 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, PO. Box 24970, New Orleans, LA 70184. PLAY METER " 3 JUNE 1993