Play Meter

Chicago ordinance
would ban play
In the heart of the industry's home -
ground , movement is afoot to further
regulate the presence of amusement
games. Chicago Alderman Patrick
Huels of the 11th Ward (south side
of Chicago) has introduced an
ordinance that would ban play
on the games for anyone under
eighteen years of age and would
redefine the term "arcade" to mean
any place that houses even one
game . Each location would be
forced to secure a license as a
"public place of amusement-class 11-
arcade ."
On January 21, Huels appeared
on the Phil Donahue show in
Chicago to criticize the arcades as a
major force in the corruption of
America's youth. Huels also lam-
basted single machine locations as
contributing to moral decay and
included accusations that operators
were less than respectable citizens.
He even indicated that arcade opera-
tors might be loaning money to kids
and collecting enormous interest
rates on the loans.
On February 4, the Chicago City
Council Committee on License met
to consider the ordinance . Although
the meeting was adjourned without a
final declaration on whether or not
the ordinance would become law,
there is feeling among those who
attended that the outcome will con -
tain some restrictions applicable to
children of school age during school
hours.
Apparently, Huels has softened
his stance on the under 18 ban. At
the February 4 meeting , he indicated
that he had found most arcades were
well run and well supervised and he
had lost his inclination to push for an
under 18 ban.
Industry sources told Play Meter
that the meeting was attended by in
excess of 60 industry backers, of
various ages and economic back -
grounds, whose presence was a
positive factor in allowing the
Committee to take a more favorable
stand to the industry on the
ordinance.
Lite Beer pouring bucks into pool
Labeled as the "best thing that has
happened to pool in its long history ,"
the Lite Beer $200,000 World Series
of Tavern Pool is the largest , richest ,
"surest" event of its kind ever
scheduled .
To date , over 6,000 locations have
signed up to sponsor over 180,000
qualified players who will vie for local
bragging rights. More than 110,000
taverns received information about
the tournament and responses are
still coming into the Sports Tourna-
ment of America offices.
Originally, the final date of regis-
tration was to be Februay 25, but
humbling weather conditions have
so impeded mail delivery that opera-
tors were allowed to register as late
as March 1st.
"That means that we will move the
final date for location finals to March
11 ," said Mike Smith at Sports Tour-
nament headquarters. Regional
activity will take place April 20- 29,
and the finals will be held in Las
Vegas, June 2- 8.
The event is certainly gala. It will
culminate within Las Vegas' most
12
re known center of glamour , Ceasar's
Palace.
Valley has signed a contract to
supply more than 100 Cougar coin -
operated tables for use in the
national championship finals. Valley
President Chuck Milhem indicated:
"The Miller people have put this
program together at just the right
time. Our pool table industry is
gripped by the economy as is every-
one . In addition , interest in coin pool
tables has been adversely affected by
video games. But this Lite Beer
tourney will help us all by refocusing
attention on pool and the coin-
operated pool table."
Milhem also sees the tournament
as an opportunity for operators to
diversify into pool tables or to
intensify interest in the tables they
now have in locations. It is expected
that more than $10 million in addi-
tional pool table revenue will be
generated for locations during the
local and regional tournaments.
The tournament is soundly
backed by Miller Brewing Company
who is guaranteeing the cash and
prize awards.
Elcon acqu isition
completed
Micropin Corporation has com-
pleted the acquisition of El con
Industries, R. Bruce Stewart,
president of Micropin , announced
February 9.
Stewart said Elcon will be
operated as a wholly -owned
subsidiary of Micropin and will
continue to be headed by its founder,
Andre R. Dubell.
Micropin , a fast -growing partici-
pant in the large and still-evolving
leisure industry , is believed to be the
only publicly owned company
engaged exclusively in the manufac-
turing and operation of electronic
amusement games , Stewart said.
In the quarter ending December
31, 1981, Micropin registered a net
loss of $43 ,708, or one cent per
share, from a loss of $267,966, or 10
cents per share in the comparable
period of the prior fiscal year.
Revenues rose to $177 ,518 in the
December quarter from $27,410 in
the like period of the previous year.
The company's fiscal year ends
March 31.
Revenues for the latest nine
months totaled $526,743, up 548 per
cent from revenues of $32,367 in the
previous year's nine months .
Headquartered in Pasadena,
California, Micropin operates elec-
tronic amusement games throughout
Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Games operated include a machine
of the company's own design and
many of the most popular games
made by other manufacturers.
Through Elcon, Micropin will
market video games nationally.
Elcon's present customers include
Pizza Time Theaters, Leisuretron
Corp., Showbiz Pizza Place, and
other major operators of video
games.
Elcon's sales are running at an
annual rate of $3.5 million , Stewart
noted , and pre-tax earnings for the
next twelve months should come to
at least $600,000. With a tax loss
carry-forward of about $3 million,
Micropin won't have to pay any
taxes on earnings in the near future .
The acquisition of Elcon involved
the exchange of 500,000 Micropin
shares for all of Elcon's stock .
Micropin will issue as many as
170,000 more shares of Elcon !
depending on Elcon ' s future
earnings .
PLAY METE R, March 15 , 1982