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NEWS BULLETIN .,.. PREMIER BUYS SMS ASSETS .. .Premier Technology has reached an agreement in principle to acquire the video gaming product assets of SMS Manufacturing Corp., with closing to follow shortly. "We at Premier are extremely excited about the opportunity that this acquisition provides,'' said Premier president Gil Pollock. "In addition to SMS having the best product in the video lottery field , the addition of Sal Mirando and his excellent staff will strengthen our entire organization . This acquisition fits into our long-term growth plans to diversify Premier from a one-product (pinball) company." Said Mirando, " I am pleased with this opportunity, since it will afford us increased manufacturing capacity that the video lottery field will need to satisfy the future demand." Premier will now be structured to have the Gottlieb pinball division and the SMS division. Mirando will continue to head the sales, marketing, and engineering functions of SMS, which will still be located in New Jersey. All of the manufacturing will be moved to Premier's facilities in Bensenville, Ill. .,.. MOVING PRODUCT IN POLAND.. .Robert Herman of Ace Amusement in Brooklyn, N.J., fresh from attending the first-ever coinop expo in Warsaw on April 3-6, reports that the show was good for game manufacturers and even better for parts suppliers. " My initial impression is that the parts people did very well , which is somewhat surprising ,'' he said. "That must mean there are a lot of machines underground in Poland, because I didn't see one video game anywhere in Warsaw. The only jukebox I saw was a used one." Most of the exhibiting distributors and manufacturers were European , though American firms did have a presence there. European slot machine manufacturers, eager to have their product approved in Poland, were everywhere, Herman says. Many exhibitors have already signed up for next year's expo. " My cousin George (Herman, the show chairman) is very excited about the turnout for this year's show," he said. "Poland looks like it's going to be a great market for the coin-op industry." Look for photos of the show in our June issue. .,.. SEEKING VIDEO LOTTERY UNITY. .. A group of video lottery machine manufacturers-including SMS, Merit, Grayhound, PARS Electronics, Kramer, and IGT-met with AMOA representatives in Chicago on March 18 to ponder this question: would it be possible to pool their energies to assist in the passage of video lottery legislation? Former AMOA president Wally Bohrer, who represented the association along with current president Jim Trucano, said , "The first meeting was successful to the point that we're going to attempt to put together an affiliation of manufacturers, operators, and state associations. The object is to work together toward achieving positive legislation. There are many disjointed efforts currently being undertaken. We want to be a catalyst for future action that will benefit the coin machine industry." Added Trucano, "The meeting went extremely well. There seems to be a lot of interest on the manufacturers' part to form a coalition. We (AMOA) would like to work with them to present a better image of video lottery nationally." The group held its second meeting on April 17 in Chicago. .,.. N.C. ASSOCIATION CHANGES NAME .. .The North Carolina Coin Operators Association has changed its name to the North Carolina Amusement Machine Association . The association felt a change in name should coincide with its recent incorporated status, indicating that it's undergoing a fresh start. NCAMA's 1991 convention is slated for Oct. 24-27 at the Omni Hotel in Durham. For more information, contact Bobby or Cindy Earp at (919) 584-4833. .,.. KANEKO ADDS KRAMER .. .Kaneko USA Ltd. has appointed Tom Kramer to the position of national sales manager. He worked most recently for the Sanyo Fisher USA Corp. "Tom brings to us over eight years of electronics experience and will be a valuable asset to our marketing team," said Kaneko USA president Marty Glazman. .,.. KANSAS LOOKS AT VIDEO GAMING .. .Kansas is the latest state to express interest in legalized video gaming to ease its economic woes without raising taxes. Forty-five-year coin-op veteran Stan Chilton, president and owner of Chilton Vending Co. in Wichita, recently spearheaded an effort to have the state lottery commission add regulated, payout video poker machines to its existing products (scratch tickets, pull-tabs, and Lotto America) . State amusement operators joined with members of the Kansas Automatic Merchandisers Association to push for operator involvement in such a program , but it did not pass in the legislative session that ended in mid-April. This and related issues like sales taxes are of vital importance to both the vending and amusement operators of Kansas. They plan to continue fighting for legalized video gaming. Kansas legislators also saw a high level of interest in riverboat gambling this session , due to its recent inception in neighboring Iowa (Illinois' riverboat gambling will begin soon) . Another factor in the Kansas equation is the admitted existence of gray area games. According to the Kansas City Star, "There are already 7,000 video poker machines in taverns across the state. But the people who play them cannot legally win money." Video gaming and riverboat gambling could generate substantial revenue for the state, which also has greyhound and horse racing operations. .,.. OPEN HOUSE AT MONDIAL. ..Mondial International will stage an open house for its branch in the Pittsburgh area on Saturday, May 4. It will take place at Conley's Motor Inn in Monroeville, Pa. For more information, contact new branch sales manager Doug Wilson at (412) 733-1220. He was most recently with Hilltop Distributors in West Virginia, a company he started in 1988. "Doug's years of experience (since 1969) in the coin-op industry, especially in West Virginia, will be an asset and will help us enhance our coverage and service in the greater Pittsburgh area,'' said Mondial executive vice president Tony Yula Jr. .,.. EDISON BROTHERS NAMES MCAULIFFE .. .Edison Brothers Mall Entertainment, a division of Edison Brothers Stores, has appointed George McAuliffe to the position of vice president/general sales manager. He began his career in 1979 as a store manager for one of the Timeout family amusement centers. From there McAuliffe advanced through several management positions, ultimately becoming divisional general manager. When Edison Brothers acquired the Timeout chain last year, he was named director of anchor entertainment centers. .,.. COMIC STRIP DEBUTS . .. This month marks the inaugural edition of "Coin Quips,'' a comic strip that takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the coin-Op industry. The first one appears on page 150. The strip will focus on a timely subject each month ; comments are welcome . .,.. IT'S A BOY! . .. Congratulations to Jean-Marc Laniel of Laniel Canada and his wife Marie-Josee, who gave birth to son Francois on March 7. He weighed in at 6 pounds, 13 ounces. Francois is the fifth grandchild for Laniel Canada's Gaelan Laniel (the other four are all girls). PLAY METER MAGAZINE, May 1991 , Volume 17, No. 6. Copyright 1991 by Skybird Publishing Company. PLAY METER MAGAZINE (ISSN 1048-8243) (UPS 358-350) is published monthly, except for the two issues in January. Publishing office: 6600 Fleur de Lis, New Orleans, LA 70124. MAILING ADDRESS: PO. 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. Advertising rates are available upon request. NO PART OF THE MAGAZINE MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION. The editors are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. PLAY METER MAGAZINE buys ALL RIGHTS, unless otherwise specified , to accepted manuscripts, cartoons, art work, and photographs. Second-class postage paid at New Orleans, LA 70113 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER Send Form 3579 to Play Meter, P.O. Box 24970, New Orleans, LA 70184. May 1991 /PLAY METER 3