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NEWS BULLETIN ~ OUR HEARTFELT SYMPATHY ... Our hearts and prayers go out to Tom and Denise Riquier of T & M Distributing on the death of their 19-year-old daughter Jennifer on Aug. 12. Jennifer suffered from lupus, which eventually caused her death. We also join with the rest of the industry in offering our prayers to the family of Tom Seaver, owner of Land of Oz in Stockton , Calif. Tom's father, Ken, owns and operates Central Vending Service of Lake Geneva, Wisc., and served on the WAMO board. Tom is survived by his parents and three brothers, who all live in Wisconsin and his wife and young son, who reside in Santa Cruz, Calif. ~ MARGOLD TO NSM ... NSM calls John Margold its " biggest ~ NORTH DAKOTA UPDATE ... The North Dakota Coin Machine Operator's Association convention, scheduled for September, has been postponed. It has been determined that intense work in governmental affairs in the election and pre-legislation season is worthy of the association's full attention. The association will hold monthly membership workshops and meetings throughout the legislative session. In addition, plans are being formulated for a "Day on the Hill,'' at wh ich time a convention may be held. For more information contact Dwight Wrangham, P.O. Box 3123, Fargo, ND 58108. ~ AMOT STRIVES FOR LOTTERY ... The Amusement and Music Operators of Texas is organizing and planning a drive for passage of video lottery with private enterprise participation. AMOT president A.C. Schwartz noted, "It is important to allow experienced amusement and music business owners to own and service Texas video lottery machines. We have an in-depth knowledge of the industry, generations of experience, a reputation for dependable service, and systems in place to quickly distribute, maintain, operate, and ensure security for games 24 hours a day." AMOT's legislative chairman, Dock Ringo of Ringo & Ball in Mineral Wells, Texas, estimates that locally owned and operated VLTs would create 30,000 new jobs in Texas. Anyone interested in more information can contact Ringo at PEP (Private Enterprise Please), (817) 325-1005. ~ RHODE ISLAND CHOOSES VENDORS ... Recently legalized video poker games will be located at the Newport Jai Alai Ironton and the Lincoln Greyhound Park by Sept. 28 if the Rhode Island Lottery Commission's plans hold fast. The lottery has selected G-TECH Corp., which is headquartered in Rhode Island, to supply the central computer system for the estimated 1,200 games. Four gaming equipment manufacturers have been awarded contracts for 300 games each. Those companies are G-TECH, International Game Technology, Video Lottery Consultants, and WMS Gaming. After six months the commission will vote to evaluate the performance of the games. Coincidentally, these companies also have contracts with Oregon, where a state-run video lottery program began this spring. Rhode Island's law calls for 18 percent of net game revenue to go to the contractors and 38 percent to the state. Rhode Island expects to reap $17 million in revenue. redemption prize." Margold , who was most recently with Betson Enterprises and has been writing the " Redemption Report" column for Play Meter, has joined NSM as vice president of sales and marketing. Margold describes his duties this way: " I'll be overseeing all sales activities, distributor relations, advertising, promotions, marketing, forecasting, . .. and undoubtedly shutting off the lights at night since there's no way I'll be able to get it all done during the day! " John will report directly to president Aus Strahan and is taking over some of Rus's day-to-day responsibil ities. John's first week on the job included a trip to Germany for a meeting at NSM's Bingen headquarters. ~ KAUFMAN AND GREEN TO PREMIER ... Premier Technology, manufacturer of Gottlieb pinball machines and a line of video lottery terminals, is proud to announce additions to both its sales and marketing departments. Industry veteran Steve Kaufman has joined the company as executive vice president of sales, bringing with him more than 25 years of industry experience. His most recent post was at Konami. L.J. Green, who recently resigned her position at Williams, will be heading up Premier's marketing department. President Gil Pollock said he is delighted to have these two additions. He added, " Our newly revived focus on sales and marketing will not only benefit our global distribution network, but provide fresh insight into all areas of our product line as well." ~ NEW COMPANY FORMED ... Two former Atari employees, Larry Siegel and Dana Plotkin, have announced the formation of a new company to create entertainment software. Siegel, a 15-year veteran of the coin-op industry, says the new company (as yet unnamed) will be up and running sometime in September. It will be designing, producing, and marketing multimedia, interactive software for video games and several computer platforms. Siegel and Plotkin were involved with the Lynx color portable video game system. Under the two, Lynx sales doubled in one year and the library of titles grew to more than 50. ~ DOCKSIDE GAMBLING COMES TO MISSISSIPPI ... Four different docked vessels now offer all-out, 24-hour gambling in Mississippi's Harrison County, following a referendum passed in March. Throngs of patrons waited in long lines as each casino opened in August. The Isle of Capri is located at Point Cadet and features the Diamond Lady and Emerald Lady (formerly of Iowa). The President (also from Iowa) occupies a spot at the Broadwater Beach Hotel Marina. The Biloxi Belle, a paddlewheel vessel built in 1985 as a restaurant, is in downtown Biloxi on Beach Blvd. Look for more in our October issue. ~ TECMO HAS NEW ADDRESS ... Last month we announced that Tecmo was moving its offices. They have settled into their new digs and here's the address: Sequoia Commerce Center, 19260 South Van Ness Ave., Torrance, CA 90501 . The new phone numbers are (310) 787-2900 and toll-free (800) 338-0336. The FAX number is (310) 787-3131. ~ ANOTHER REMINDER ... Steve Kordek and Jim McNeely, president and vice president of the Half Century Club, wanted to remind everyone once again not to miss the meeting scheduled for Friday, Oct. 2, during the upcoming AMOA show. It's looking to be on a much bigger scale than some previous meetings and will feature an interesting guest speaker. If you have been in this industry for over 40 years, how can you even think of missing this opportunity to share a few war stories? It should be a lot of fun. If you plan to attend, forward a $20 check to Steve at Williams Electronics, 3401 North California Ave., Chicago, IL 60618. ~ DON'T BE LEFT OUT ... We are in the first stages of compil ing information for our annual directory issue. We will be sending out confirmation forms to all those who were included last year. If your name was not included last year, it's up to you to let us know. Don't forget to check the confirmation form when you receive it and let us know if everything is OK. If you don't get one, please give us a call or FAX us the information. CAPCOM FILES SUIT AGAINST COIN-TECH ... With the aid of Hong Kong Customs and Excise authorities, 356 illegal Street Fighter II: Champion Edition boards were seized and 20 arrests were made in June. The same month , over 200 illegal circuit boards were seized from New Jersey-based Coin::rech. Capcom has filed a civil action against Coin-Tech in Maryland, where the collnterfeit boards were confiscated. In addition to boards, records also were seized naming American customers. Many of those could be facing civil or criminal action . ~ ~ STRICT ANTI-CIGARETTE LAW PASSED IN N.Y ... The New York Legislature, in the final hours of its legislative session, passed a law that outlaws cigarette vending machines statewide. The only exceptions are for bars, factories, and other places where minors are not allowed . The law goes into effect on April 1, 1993. The vote, according to New York State Coin Machine Association president Ralph Ceraldi, was 136-0 because many legislators were afraid of the political consequences of voting against an anti-smoking measure. But lawmakers friendly to the vending industry have told Ceraldi that there's a good chance amendments will be introduced next session to soften the law. "I hope we'll end up with the Suffolk County law, which allows lockout devices for machines where minors are allowed , such as diners and restaurants,'' he said . ~ Fearful of video gambling effects, the Newport City Council is fighting the project with an amendment to its zoning code. LANDMARK ACTION IN TAIWAN ... For the first time, the Taiwanese government has taken action against manufacturers and exporters of copied game boards. Thirty-nine raids resulted in over 30 arrests and confiscation of over 2,000 copied boards, mostly Capcom's hottest new game, Street Fighter II: Champion Edition . PLAY METER MAGAZINE, September 1992, Volume 18, No. 10. Copyright 1992 by Skybird .Publishing Company. PLAY METER MAGAZINE (UPS 358-350) is published monthly, except for the two issues in January. Publishing office: 6600 Fleur de Lis, New Orleans, LA 70124. MAILl.NG 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. Advert1smg rates are .available upon request. NO PART OF THE MAGAZINE MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISS.ION. 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. PLAY METER 3 SEPTEMBER 1992