Play Meter

NEWS BULLETIN ..,.. The legislature in Suffolk County overrode a veto by county executive Patrick Halpern , sustaining an earlier 15-3 vote in favor of a bill that allows cigarette machines 1) in bars, as they have been , and 2) in restaurants/diners, with either a lock-out device or on a token system. "We were successful because we started working on this issue very early, we had a great lobbyist in Jim Faraldi , and we had a membership that was active all the way," said AMOA-NY president Robert Herman . Also, in Westchester County, operators were able to kill a bill that would 've banned the machines. But they weren't as lucky in New York City, where the city council passed just such a measure. Mayor David Dinkins was expected to sign the bill on Nov. 27. POKER BILL PASSES IN PENNSYLVANIA . .. A video poker bill has passed in both the Pennsylvania House and Senatemarking the first time such a bill has gotten this far in that state. It cleared the House on Nov. 14, the Senate on Nov. 20. Gov. Robert Casey has30 days in which to either sign the bill , leave it unsigned , or veto it. He hast.his long to decide because the legislature is no longer in session, but a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Amusement and Music Machine Association (PAM MA) says Casey likely won 't take the full 30 days. He hasn't indicated which way he's leaning, the spokesman added. ..,.. MANUFACTURER'S COUNCIL MEETS .. .The recently formed AMOA Manufacturer's Council, a 17-member group composed of AMOA members and representatives from the coin-op industry's various manufacturing sectors, met for the second time during the IAAPA show in Washington , D.C.. on Nov. 14. (We'll have photos of that event next month). The main action taken was the formation of four committees within the council. "We're considering two options: either lobbying to have the bill amended, so that some of the machines are allowed , or going ahead with federal litigation," Herman said . "The matter is by no means dead." In other news concerning New York, Suffolk County's Halpern is proposing a $25 registration fee for any coin-operated device. To combat this potentially crippling legislation , a group calling itself the Long Island Coin Coalition has been formed . It's comprised of AMOA-NY and representatives from vending , pay telephone, and coin laundromat associations. (Coca-Cola and Pepsi also have representation .) "A unified approach is needed to kill this tax ,'' Herman said . " I'm excited about the possibilities of this coalition ." Here are the committees and their members: Government Relations: Jerry Gordon of Rowe International, chair; Craig Johnson of TATAKA, AMOA liaison; Wally Bohrer of Hastings Distributing ; and Jim Newlander of Atari Games. Industry Relations: Joe Dillon of Williams-Bally/Midway, chair; Jack Kerner of Melo-Tone Vending , AMOA liaison; Kira Burdick of Mars Electronics; and Bill Rickett of Dynamo Corp. Convention Advisory Board: Jack Regan of R.J. Reynolds, chair; John Schumacher, AMOA liaison ; Frank Ballouz of Fabtek/lrem ; Doug Harrington of lntellical; and Ed Sokolofski of Wico Distribution. ..,.. Education : Chuck Milhem of Valley Recreation Products, chair; April Sojka, AMOA liaison ; Bill Truman of Automatic Products Co.; Sal Mirando of SMS Manufacturing; and Harrington. Council members not yet on committees are Mort Ansky of Kramer Manufacturing, Shane Breaks of Atari Games, and Mark Struhs of Dynamo Corp. They will be on other committees formed at future meetings. The Manufacturer's Council will meet four times a year. Each member serves for three years; down the road , one-third of them will rotate off yearly. The one-slot kits should be available after the first of the year. GOTTLIEB FORMS COMPANY ... Alvin Gottlieb, son of the famous pinball manufacturer David Gottlieb, has started a new pinball design firm called A. Gottlieb &Co. It's located in Elmhurst, Ill. Gottlieb is working on a hush-hush flipper modification patent. He says the information is classified . "I can keep a secret, but the people I tell it to can 't! " he said. The pinball machine to be built around this patent-pending flipper will probably be manufactured by Premier Technology. Gottlieb is working closely with Premier president Gil Pollock on the project. Jerry Armstrong is the new company's chief designer. Also working there are Gottlieb's sons, Mike and Joe, and grandson Stephan . ..,.. CIGARETTE ACTION IN NEW YORK ... Cigarette vending machine operators in two New York counties-Suffolk and Westchester-received good news in November, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for their brethren in New York City. SNK, ROMSTAR MAKE DEAL ... SNK Corporation of America and Romstar Inc. have finalized a licensing agreement whereby Rom star will market and sell SN K's one-slot Neo-Geo kits. "We feel Romstar, a leading kit specialist, is well equipped to spearhead this program," said SNK president Paul Jacobs. "We will continue to market and sell all dedicated versions of the Neo-Geo multivideo system, plus all software for both dedicated games and kitswith exception of the initial piece of software included with each kit." MEMBERSHIP DENIED . .. David Snook, Play Meter's European correspondent, reports that " in a shocking decision, Euromat (the federation of European coin machine trade associations) has decided not to admit to membership the Amusement Machine Association , the smaller of the two Belgian trade associations. "This follows a four-year wrangle in which the AMA has consistently sought membership and been continuously thwarted by its larger brethren at Belgium's UBA. The irony is that on this occasion the UBA withdrew its opposition. Instead, it came from Italy and France, who persuaded a majority of their European colleagues at the council meeting (in Brussels on Oct. 25) to vote out the AMA." NINTENDO ADDS HOT LINE ... Nintendo's technical services department has added an exclusive telephone line to provide technical assistance for its coin-op customers. Calling this tollfree number, (800) 628-4126, will improve card processing time and decrease the incidence of busy signals received. PLAY METER MAGAZINE, December 1990, Volume 16, No. 13. Copyright 1990 by Skybird Publishing Company. PLAY METER MAGAZINE (ISSN 1048-8243)(UPS 358-350) is published monthly, except for the two issues is January. Publishing office: 6600 Fleur de Lis, New Orleans, LA 70124. MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 24970, New Orleans, LA 70184, USA. Phone : 504/488-7003; FAX 504/488-7083. For subscriptions: 504/488-7003. Subscription rates: U.S. and Canada-$50. 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