Play Meter

GUEST COMMENTARY:
What this industry needs is
a good national association
By Herb Beitel
The coin-op amusement industry needs an
effective national association . An $11 billion
industry without strong, unified leadership to
promote and protect it is courting trouble. The
national associations representing us today are in
disarray .
AMOA (Amusement and Music Operators of
America) recently closed its office and transferred
administration of its affairs to a professional asso-
ciation-management firm that also handles more
than 100 other associations in var ious fields . This
was done under pressure from declining member-
ship and staggering legal and lobbying bills
generated in producing the recent secret jukebox
royalty agreement. AMOA is using the association-
management professionals on an " as needed "
basis . This is a startling development for AMOA ,
which annually operates as trustee of nearly $1
million in industry funds.
AAMA (American Amusement Manufacturers
Association) has reduced its staff substantially and
cut back heavily on activities. This means a reduced
presence for two sectors of the industry since
AVMDA (Amusement Vending Machine Distributors
Association) merged with AGMA (Amusement
Games Manufacturers Association) to form AAMA
last year. The merger came about because of
AVMDA's economic problems and in recognition
that a substantial number of distributors had been
acquired by some manufacturers , notably Bally and
Rowe .
NCMI (National Coin Machine Institute) , origi-
nally formed by a group of large regional and
national operators , has switched its emphasis from
legislative and regulatory representation to the
development of special programs with manufac-
turers to increase operator revenues and markets
for manufacturers .
The bottom line is that very little effort or money
is being invested in governmental activities affect-
ing our industry or in long-range programs to
benefit the industry . Little is being done to provide
forums in which all of the industry can discuss
needs and develop effective programs .
Money is at the heart of all these disturbing
developments . Without support through member-
ship dues and activities and through convention
participation (which was down for all three shows
last year) , association activities and programs must
shrink or d isappear. Three conventions again are
being scheduled for 1986, further diluting the effec-
PlAY METER. November 1. 1985
tiveness of those funds in supporting industry pro-
grams .
Our industry has a long history of indifference
to associations . When confronted sporadically with
threats to its continued existence, the industry
pours money and effort into associations . Witness
the response to the disastrous legislative attacks
and negative publicity spawned by the video-game
explosion . But , when the emergencies seem under
control , support evaporates . There are exceptions
to this pattern in a small number of state and local
associations that manage to survive through these
roller coaster periods .
This cycle has happened before . Recall the
furor that surrounded the birth of pinball games, of
jukeboxes, of cigarette machines, and from the
various attempts to skirt anti-gambling laws . It's
frustrating that our industry doesn't seem to learn
from these experiences. It has been said , "Those
who will not learn from history are doomed to repeat
it." With today's accelerated technological develop-
ment, the next fad, the next revolutionary game idea
will be here sooner than the industry realizes . Again
we will not be ready . And again we won't be able to
mobilize fast enough to prevent a lot of damage .
Look at how long it is taking us to get rid of anti-
pinball legislation (for example, 40 years for New
York City's ban) . There's still hazardous legislative
and regulatory debris from the video game explo-
sion cluttering the operating landscape. We will be a
long time getting rid of that obstacle course.
Even in troubled times when money and effort
are flowing to associations , we are our own worst
enemies because of lack of coordinated leadership
and common objectives . During the video game
crisis , all of our national associations competed to
be the representative group for the industry , each
with its own strengths and weaknesses . We must
recognize that the immediate objectives of manu-
facturers, distributors , operators, and suppliers are
different, often conflicting. It is only when these
groups are coordinated for the over-all benefit of the
industry can they effectively and efficiently work
together. Partly because of competition, there was
no coordinated attack on industry problems .
Responses were spotty and inefficient. So , the
wheel was constantly reinvented and a lot of indus-
try resources were wasted .
In the recent video game-crisis , AMOA adopted
a curiously detached attitude that they justified by
explaining that states must take care of their own
57