Play Meter

Manufacturer Meetings Incredible Technologies unveils tournament system units of the golf game which feature a scrolling marquee While a snow blanket across many sections of the country made travel difficult, distributors from around sign on top of the cabinet and a bill acceptor. Each tournathe nation came to the Chicago suburbs last month to ment play will cost $5, half of which goes back to IT for tournament fees and the distributor's share. This money talk about golf. will be put in a special account which can be swept by IT. A To be more specific, they came to talk about Incredible regular game of 18-hole play costs $2.50. Technologies' Peter Jacobsen 's Golden Tee 3D Golf and the Cravens said the game has to be conducted on idencompany's International Tournament System (ITS) which tical dedicated units to keep the playing field level from will be used to link the golf games all around the country. · location to location. "We have to have credibility it Part of the enticement for the distributors will be a perworks the way we say it does ," he said. centage of the collections from tournaments. "Why are we Tournament fees doing this?" asked Bill cover the national Cravens of Bulldog prize fund, as well as Amusements, which local prize funds for is representing the the best competitor company and its tourin each location, spenament system. "Are cial and instant we generous? No, we prizes, promotional need you. It will not materials, communiwork without you." cation and accountCravens explained ing services, prize that the added work distribution, special on the part of the tournament playoffs, distributors in terms continuing system of explaining and design and improvesupporting the tourment, and adminisnament system rightfully entitles them to The Incredible Technologies crew, (1-r): Mike Hanson , Gay Bilotta , Steve Jaskowiak, Carol Antrative fees and exshare in the rewards. derson , Elaine Dutton, Richard Ditton , Larry Hodgson , and Scott Morrison. penses. ITS can support ASUCCESSFUL TEST 32 different tournaments on different types of games Much of the predicted success of ITS is based on results across as many as 100,000 machines, and everything from from a test conducted on 24 machines in taverns around video games to pinball and darts can be part of the on-line tournaments. Up to 32 different machines can be serially the Chicago area Nov. 23-Dec. 17. Here's a look at the figures released by IT. Total gross inlinked to a single phone line that serves as the connection come exceeded $2,000 on the best machine and net into ITS Central. come reached just over $1 ,500. The average income for All tournament data is transferred to the ITS computer the three-and-a-half week period was $891 per machine; through a normal telephone line each night where it is gathered and interpreted. Game machines are then updated with weekly net income was $191 per machine. new leader boards on the international and local levels as well Tournament plays totalled 345 on the best machine with the lowest machine recording only 26 ; the average as prize on information. was 89 tournament plays per game. The total operator/ lo"People like to see their name in lights," said IT's Mike cation split was $757 each with an average of $335 each Hanson. "And there is not a lot more the operator has to do per game. Weekly splits average $96 each per game. other than hook up the phone line." IT's Elaine Ditton said the tournament games generate Nevertheless, IT was quick to stress a number of funcrevenue rather than raiding the cash boxes of other attractions the system did not provide including head-to-head, tions within the location. "When we put it on test it brought real-time competition, handicapping, or marketing information from players. more money into the location," she said. The tournament system, which is scheduled to be impleFrank Gumma Jr. of America Vending Sales, who helped mented in April, will be conducted on special dedicated put on the test, said that in some locations there was such PLAY METER 12 FEBRUARY 1996