Play Meter

Albany . "The feedback we get is op·
erators and location owners are appre·
hensive about people sitting at the
tables and not playing the games."
The market in North Carolina is
also limited, said Jon Brady of Brady
Distributing Co., Charlotte. "Blue
sky" operations exist there, he added,
but promoters try to sell the games
"to us for $300 more than I'd sell
them to the operator."
With the video cocktail table
phenomenon bouncing between the
paddles of our coasts, the question
remains : Wha t marketing method is
right?
The amusement machine industry is
suffering from being locked into the
antiquated 50/50 percentage split wi th
locat ions as the price of machines soar,
along with operating costs. In many
cases, new operators of video cocktail
tables have done a better job of getti ng
60 per cent for themselves than have
old-time operators. And seasoned op-
erators, approaching this virgin ter -
ritory, should keep in mind the need
to try for higher percentages because
in most cases, you are dealing w i th
people new to the games business, who
feel fortunate to have the service and a
brand new table in their establish-
ments.
The choices are up to the individual
operator . He can ignore a seemingly
significant trend in his own industry
and an opportunity to boost income
tremendously. Or, he can stick wit h
the traditional commission system that
has portions of the industry in a
cancerous grip.
But operators like Larry Greenspan
of General A musement Co . in Ocean-
side, Cali f ., realized the video cocktail
t able's magic earl y . " These tables are
opening doors for us," Greenspan say s.
I began my research on this article
by venturing into the market. When I
decided to purchase my first table in
January, C. A . Robinson was selling
Mirco's table and Portale Automatic
Sales was cautiously starting to test
the market with a new manufacturer's
product . Porta Ie's Sales Manager Stan
Rousso worked closely with A -'
Amusements, headed by two young
engineers, John and Mike McEntee of
Los Angeles. Although other operators
recommended Mirco's tab le for it s
reliability, I felt the octagon-shaped
A -' table had a superior appearance
for the cock tail lounge trade I in-
tended to try.
A fter loading two tables on m y
truck, I stopped to eat in Sant a
56
TURN THE TABLES
ON YOUR
COMPETITION ...
with
NEW FROM NUTTING ASSOCIATES
- WHERE VIDEO GAME TECHNOLOGY BEGAN
utting Table Tenni i ' an e iting 1-, 2- r 4-player
ideo action game hou ed in an attractive cocktai l
table cabinet.
The game' 0 ject i just like real table t nni - to
direct a bouncing " ball " out of reach of the o pponent '
paddle.
Feature include the unique furniture package th at will
appeal to ophi ticated location like tyli h lounge
and country club. 2Si or SOi play for greater profit.
and an ea y-acce panel f r qui k ervi ce and coli ction
Follow the bouncing ball to bigger profit and new
location ! Call or write today for all th e detail .
Watch for other exciting new game in this configuration
soon!
.Na
NUTTING
500 Logue Avenue , M ountain View, C
As.aCIATES
94043
(415 ) 96 1·9373
irc1e number 14 on read er e rvi e card.