Play Meter

NEWS BULLETIN SKEE-BALL BUYS VARI-TECH . .. Joe Sladek of Skee-Ball , manufacturer of the game that bears its name, has signed an agreement to buy Vari-Tech , which manufactures games and programs for amusement parks and arcades. Skee-Ball is buying the company from the current owners, Burke Porter Machinery Co. of Grand Rapids. Mark Kane, vice president and general manager of VariTech , will become the executive vice president of Skee-Ball and will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the combined group. Sladek and Kane agree that the marriage of the two companies will be an asset to both . They said that with Skee-Ball's manufacturing and distribution expertise and Vari-Tech's sales and marketing strengths the company will be able to penetrate the international market. Company headquarters will remain in Pennsylvania, wh ile the Vari-Tech division will stay in Michigan. .,.. LOUISIANA POKER UPDATE... The La. State Police is right on schedule with video poker device placement. Accordi ng to Lt. Riley Blackwelder of the Video Gaming Division , as of Nov. 12 a total of 7,080 video poker devices had been enabled in 2,028 locations around the state. Legalized video gaming, which was approved by the La. Legislature in July 1991, commenced in July 1992 statewide, following a one-month test period at the state's five race tracks. The original projection for revenue and budgetary reasons was a goal of 14,000 machines on location by June 30, 1992, the end of the state fiscal year. " We're on schedule at this time," commented Blackwelder. " From the time the device application comes in to the enabling date is now with in two to fou r days. We issued over 2,800 licenses by midNovember (including manufacturers, device owners, service entities, and establishments). The magnitude of processing that many applications has been a tremendous task by our administrative personnel." He gave special recognition to auditors Susan Demouy and Janet Seamon , who literally became a two-woman command center. There are 32 commissioned officers in the department and 15 office staff. Blackwelder advised device owners and establishments to perform a simple checklist of all required elements before the installation team arrives. Rescheduling will delay the enabling process. At the present time, most of the applications are from new establishments or from device owners transferring machines, a time-consuming task that involves extensive paperwork, disabling machines, and enabling them again . The clear majority of games on location are placed by device owners and not location owners. .,.. TRUCANO STARTS NEW VENTURE . . . Jim Trucano, president of AMOA from 1990-1991 , recently resig ned his position as vice president of Collins Music Co. in South Carolina. He has moved to Wyoming to form his own company, which will write and attempt to pass operator-i nvolved video gaming legislation. The company will also distribute products from manufacturers in the new jurisdictions if legislation passes. Trucano praised Fred Collins of Collins Music as " a true visionary of our industry," adding that he felt extremely fortunate to have been a member of Collins' team . Said Trucano: " Hopefully, and with careful forethought and planning, we can duplicate the South Dakota and Louisiana miracles in other states within the near future. I really couldn't feel good about myself if I didn't expend every effort, and make every necessary sacrifice, to take us further down the road to widespread operator involvement in legal gaming programs." Trucano can be reached at #13 Hidden Hills Lane, Sheridan, WY 82801; (307) 674-1204 (office) or (307) 674-4239 (home); FAX (307) 674-4204. .,.. AUCTION DATE CHANGED . .. Steve Piantieri of the Florida Amusement and Vending Association (FAVA) called to tell us there has been a change in the dates for the coin machine charity auction, originally scheduled for Dec. 5. The new date is December 13. Mark your calendars and be there! It's for a good cause. FAVA, by the way, is still suffering under the unfair burden of a 7.81 percent use tax. The association is hoping to implement a master license plan, similar to one in Georgia. Operators there seem to be satisfied with it. FAVA will hold its annual convention at the Stouffer Orlando Resort on Apri l 1-3. For more information you can call FAVA headquarters at (407) 898-3451. .,.. NATIONAL MOVES .. . National Ticket Co~has moved into a brand new, modern production facility. The new mailing address is P.O. Box 547, Shamokin, PA 17872; the shipping address is Reed Industrial Park, Ticket Court, Paxinos, PA 17860. The new phone and FAX numbers for ordering parts are (800) 829-0829 and FAX (800) 829-0888; for inquiries those numbers are (717) 672-2900 and FAX (717) 672-2999. .,.. WIEDERAENDERS LOSES WIFE ... All of us at Play Meter offer our heartfelt sympathy to Paul Wiederaenders of I rem on the tragic loss of his w ife Linda around Halloween . Linda spent most of the last two years in the hospital awaiting a heart/lung transplant, w hich she eventually d id receive. However, complications set in and eventually caused her death . .,.. DOLLAR COIN UPDATE .. . The 102nd Congress adjourned before Rep. Esteban Torres, the chairm an of the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs and Coinage, could present the dollar coin bill. At the time of the adjournment there were 228 cosponsors in the House and 844 in the Senate. Open support is coming from the Federal Reserve System and the Sierra Club. When the 103rd Congress convenes after the first of the year, there will again be efforts to pass the dollar coin bill. .,.. FCC UPDATE ... Back in 1982 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) outlined a set of standards for video game boards. The reason the rules were necessary was because each game board emits a certain amount of radiation that can interfere with equipment receiving a radio signal. For example, a game board not within FCC standards was responsible for knocking out a search and rescue satellite. While manufacturers are responsible for having their boards tested , it is up to the operator to make sure there is a label on the board when he buys it. If a game board is fou nd to be in violation of FCC stand ards, the operator is ultimately responsible. An FCC spokesman said that a warning is usually issued initially, but if nothing is done fines up to $10,000 can be imposed . Operators, if you are buying parallel boards, those, too, must have a label. It can be in the instruction manual, but you are responsible for having it available. .,.. SEGA SIGNS AGREEMENTS . .. General Electric and Sega Enterprises have signed an agreement whereby Sega will be allowed to use GE's image processing technology in its sim ulators and coin-op videos. GE Aerospace is a renowned manufactu rer of training simulators. Its simulation and control system and photo-texture technology will add more real ity to Sega's next generation of games called CGT. This photo-texture technology, the first to be incorporated into the U.S. Air Force's special operation unit, is based on actual photographs and can continually produce lifelike images. Sega has also signed an agreement with American Laser Games (ALG) allowing ALG to provide Sega with programming fo r the Genesis home game system . Sega formally approved two of ALG 's games for development in the Genesis/Saga CD system. .,.. STIFFER PENALTIES FOR COUNTERFEITERS ... The Oct. 8 passage of S.893, the software felony bill , provides a significant inc rease in the criminal penalties that m ay be applied to counterfeiters of v ideo game software. This new legislation provides an important new tool in addressing the serious problem posed by counterfeiters in our industry. Under th is law, anyone who, within a 180-day period , willfully infringes 10 or more copyrights and reproduces or distributes copies having a retail value of $2,500, can be fined up to $250,000 and sentenced to prison. PLAY METER MAGAZINE, December 1992, Volume 18, No. 13. Copyright 1992 by Skybird Publishing Company. PLAY METER MAGAZI NE (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: P.O. Box 24970, New Orleans, LA 70184, USA. Phone: 504/488-7003; FAX 504/488-7083. Subscription rates: U.S. and Canada-$60. 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, PO. Box 24970, New Orleans, LA 70184. PLAY METER 3 DECEMBER 1992