Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

Shuffleboard Becomes a "Must "For
Alert Operators
By William I Bud } Pa rr
I believe the coin controlled scoril)g
units are the thing that will perpetuate
shuffieboard as a paying game for the loca-
tion and the operator. Such equipment will
make the boards pay doubly for the loca-
tion and the operator will share in such
prosperity.
The scoreboards and coin control make
possible a full check on play and also col-
lection of revenues. Such equipment opens
the way for operators to get into the
shuflleboard business and to make the kind
of money that' belongs to the operating pro-
fession.
My firm is given credit for selling more
than 2,000 boards and in the last year or
so we have had contacts with many op-
erators and have seen them get into the
field and come out ahead. During the pres-
ent year there will be thousands of op-
erators in all parts of the country who will
consider investing in boards, because this
equipment is now getting a lot of pub-
licity.
"After selling equipment to so many men,
I can address my remarks to the operators
who are now considering shuflleboard or
will be buying boards in the near future.
Many of our customers were inclined to
hesitate at first, but when the facts about
shuflleboard are frankly considered an op-
erator soon recognizes that the business is
not only a must today bu t it also has big
opportunities.
Whatevet else may be s"a id about shuflle-
board, I want to say right in the beginning
that the boards will make good money, big
BUD P ARR, the a uthor o f this article, h as
the reput ation of sellin g more sh u ffl eboards in
the famous Sout hern Califo rn ia area t h an any
oth er firm . As head of General Music Co., Los
Angel es, his sales of boards h ave ext ended over
many s t a t es and sales keep expan d ing. He sells
the O l ympic hoards an d accessory e quipment.
During Twenty-Two Years
01 Leadership
W I LLIA~1
(BUD) P ARR
money for operators who care for them
properly. The boards must be kept waxed
properly, must be kept clean, polished and
neat. And boards must not be allowed to
stay on location in which the playing board
has become warped. A warped board sim-
ply kills the business. It is the neglect of
location owners to give the proper care to
boards that has opened the way for op-
erators to come in and give service, and
operators must forever keep that in mind.
Shuflleboard itself is not a new thing but
coin control and making it pay cash, as
well as draw trade for the location, is some-
thing new. The operator can get equip-
ment today that has everything in play
appeal, is durable and will operate effi-
ciently. We stress durable playing fields and
know that operators can give locations the
kind of boards that the place can take
pride in.
Operators who have music machines or
Has Built
America' s Most
Profitable Games!
Originators of
FLIPPER BUMPERS
Visit you r Distributor regularly for first hand
news about the latest Gottlieb Releases.
" There ;s no substitute fo r Quality!"
MEMBER
1140·1150 North Kostner Avenue
Chicago 51, Illinois
gaines know what an impressive piece of
equipment can mean in getting locations.
Well, shuflleboard is impressive and it not
only appeals to the proprietor of an estab-
lishment but it also appeals to the cus-
tomers" For that reason, it becomes a must
for many kinds of establishments today, if
they are to win trade in competition with
other places that do offer shuflleboard.
Thus, operators will find all their good
locations asking for shuflleboards, and if
one operator does not supply them, there
will be a competitor who will. So shuflle-
board becomes a must for every operator
who wants to do business with and hold
the top 50 per cent of locations today.
These are the facts that operators who
have hesitated about shuflleboard must face
in this good year, 1949. Locations that have
hesitated in the past will take on shuflle-
board, if they can in any way provide
space. Establishments that have provided
shuflleboard for free will welcome the op-
erator that comes along with coin control,
score boards and equipment that controls
and checks play.
This is a year in which shuflleboard use
will spread fast and wide. I have seen in
one year the operation of boards spread
out in an ever widening circle. Our firm
soon found demand for boards coming from
Denver and Texas, and now in a rapidly
expanding circle over the area. This gives
an idea of h ow fast shuffieboard is becom-
ing the new national pastime. And the
game has merit, as proved by the long years
of history. The idea now is to get good
operators into the business and thus give
the public tops in equipment and service.
The men who are now making bigger
money with shuflleboard than they ever
made with other equipment are showing
that they can keep boards in better condi-
tion than employees in a location are likely
to do. This is one thing that must be
stressed to operators who get into the
shuffieboard business: they must give serv-
ice, must put a little extra effort into mak-
ing the boards pay. Operators of music
and games may get lazy; it requires regul ar
service for shuflleboards but they also pay
much better.
While ordinary shufll eboard games have
retained their popularity for years in some
sections of the country, the operator can
now get equipment so much better de-
signed to get customers and to keep them
coming back. All this increased play makes
bigger money for the operator and we who
make and sell boards are interested in
keeping the customers playing at the high-
est pitch.
Operators who take up shuffieboards this
year must be urged to make definite plans
to increase the number of people wh o will
play the games. This calls for tournaments,
for teams; for various ideas to keep play
at a high level. There is a sufficient variety
in boards and equipment to appeal to all
classes of players; the games that can be "
played on a standard board can also be
varied to give spice to the amusement de-
vice. Every operator must put these ideas
into practice and in that way spread the
popularity of the game, as well as make
his investment in it pay bigger dividends.
Some operators hesitate about the cost
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COIN MACHINE REVIEW
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