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.,.. CAPCOM SQUELCHES PINBALL RUMOR ... When word .,.. CENTURY RELOCATES ... Century Vending and Distribut in g got out that Shelly Sax , formerly of Data East Pinball , had joined Capcom USA , rumors swirled that it signaled Capcom 's plans to enter the pinball arena. The company has issued the following press release as a response : " Capcom is pleased to announce that Shelly Sax has joined (us) to serve as an administrative assistant in the company's coin-operated products division ,'' said Jeff Walker, Capcom 's vice president of arcade and amusement products. " However, Sh elly's move to Capcom should not be taken out of context . It signifies the continued growth of the corporation only and does not represent our move into the pinball marketplace. "As it relates to the entire electronic entertainment arena, Capcom has an ongoing interest in the pinball business. However, our only direct involvement in that market has been the licensing of Street Fighter II to Premier Technology." has moved into 10,000 square feet of new warehouse and showroom space. A much larger parts department will be added later. The new address is 13458 S. Western Ave ., Gardena , CA 90249. The telephone and FAX numbers remain (310) 532-2351 and (310) 532-2355, respectively. In other news concerning Century, its division , Spirit Design Group, has signed an exclusive design agreement with Anahuac lngenieros of Narvarte, Mexico. The Spirit Group will design and con sult on the building of a five-acre outdoor amusement park in Torreon , Mexico. Century will provide the outdoor rides , while Mexel of Guadulahara, Mexico, will supply the arcade games for the 4,000-squarefoot arcade area. Work was set to begin immediately. .,.. HALF CENTURY CLUB MOURNS PATZKE ... Don Patzke of Multi Products in Racine, Wis ., passed away on Feb. 12 at the age of 66. For many years Don 's company provided specialized motors for the amusement industry. He was a regular at the Half Century Club meetings held during the ACME and AMOA shows, where he enjoyed talking with industry veterans. Don was especially proud of one of his latest inventions, an oscillating motor used in some of the newer pinball machines. His son Mark and daughter Laurie, who have been active in the business, vow to continue Multi Products. .,.. GAMBLING ISSUE HEATS UP IN WISCONSIN ... On Feb. 18 the Wisconsin Assembly voted to place a constitutional amendment on the April 6 ballot asking citizens to determine the future of gambling in the state. If approved , the amendment would limit gambling to pari-mutuel betting, the state-run lottery, charitable bingos and raffles , and Indian gaming. A confusing set of five advisory questions are included , which cover video poker, riverboat gambling , casino bans, and continuation of the lottery and parimutuel betting. Indian tribes are expected to oppose the amendment. They are concerned that their seven-year compacts with the state will be in jeopardy if restrictions on future gambling are passed. In a move similar to that by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe in Connecticut (see " State Association Meeting" this issue, pg . 70) , Wisconsin tribes have proposed a profit-sharing plan in which the state would receive a portion of the proceeds from Indian gaming for property tax relief. Even longtime gambling foe Rep. Marlin Schneider supports this plan . If more states go the way of Connecticut, the argument that Indian casinos don't provide any taxes to the state may have a hollow ring. IKAWA TO JALECO USA ... Shinichi lkawa is the new president of Jaleco USA, assuming the position vacated by Howard Rubin. lkawa has spent 15 years in the coin-op industry, both in Japan and the United States. He was most recently the executive vice president of Data East USA . PREM IER APPOINTS MONDIAL ... Premier Technology has appointed Mondial International Corp. to be its exclusive distributor for South and Latin America and the Caribbean. The appointment came after several weeks of negotiations between Fernando Galeb, Mondial 's export sales manager, and Steve Kaufman , Premier 's vice president for international sales. Galeb, who covers the region for Mondial , said, " In the past 18 months, Premier has put out some of the best pinball machines in the market , showing consistent improvement from one model to the next. They have also added key personnel to guarantee that the direction remains upward . We are looking forward to a close working relationship with the factory." .,.. NBA JAM AN ALL-STAR HIT ... Williams Electronics' new Midway video, NBA Jam , created a stir at the National Basketball Association All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City in late February. Ten of the games were available for the public to enjoy as part of the NBA festivities. Two NBA Jam games were also seen at the recent Super Show, a national sporting goods event featuring 9,000 exhibits. USA Today mentioned the video in its coverage of the showgood image building for coin-op. Although the game's official "tip-off" was scheduled for ACME '93, it has already become the center of attention . .,.. LAMZ JOINS DATA EAST PINBALL ... Darlene Lamz , who worked most recently in sales administration at Jaleco USA , has joined Data East Pinball. She replaces Shelly Sax , who's now administration manager for coin-op at Capcom USA (see earlier item) . Lamz hadn't settled on a job title at press time, but her duties will include traffic management and working with executive vice president Gary Stern. .,.. SHEATS CROWNED AT PAPA 3 ... Lyman Sheats Jr. of Hampton, Va. , edged out former champ Joseph 'Jelly ' Cartagena of Manhattan, N.Y. , to claim the title of " World's Greatest Pinball Player " at the third Professional and Amateur Pinball Association (PAPA) International Championships The tournament , held in New York City on Feb. 12-14, again attracted the game's top players and swarms of local/national media. We'll have full coverage of PAPA 3 next month . COMPANY TAKES OF FENSIVE ON CIGARETTES ... Russell Mawdsley, president of Russell-Hall Inc. in Holyoke, Mass., has had enough with government intervention into cigarette vending businesses. His company has filed suit to stop a Board of Health ruling that will ban cigarette machines in West Springfield , Mass. Mawdsley, a former AMOA president , argues that the ban , due to go into effect on March 4, will damage his 40-year-old business well in excess of $25,000. " Our complaint is that cigarette machines are legal in the state of Massachusetts, licensed by the state of Massachusetts, and taxed by the state of Massachusetts,'' he said . " The Board of Health cannot ban them if they are legal and licensed by the state." Lock-out devices, Mawdsley further argues, could 've been ordered by the board as a way to avoid a total ban. Russell-Hall is already testing them on machines in West Springfield and Enfield . 'We were wi lling to put lock-out devices on the machines,' he said . " Then people have to go to a cashier and (show) an ID first." Town attorney James Donahue says the Board of Health has the right to pass regulations that will protect the public health . Similar issues are being discussed in the state Supreme Court and may help decide Russell-Hall's case, he added. .,.. SEEBURG HIRES HAQUE . .. Rock-Ola veteran Shuja Haque has joined Seeburg International as chief engineer/special projects. " The association is anticipated to present Seeburg with some interesting opportunities," said general manager Jack Kapala . " The joining of forces will allow Seeburg to bring some ideas and concepts to fruition much quicker than originally an ticipated . We're very excited with what Shuja can provide in te rms of long-term growth." Seeburg completed its relocation back to Chi cago in mid-January ; production began again Feb. 1. The move gives the company ample space for expansion as needed. OPEN HOUSE DATES . .. The following distributors have sent us information about their post-ACME open houses : ·Betson Enterprises : March 21 , New England Coin-Op, 1-6 p.m.; March 24, Betson New Jersey, 1-7 p.m.; March 28, Betson Advanc e, 1-6 p.m . • Mondial International : March 20, Pittsburgh office, 11-4 p.m.; March 21 , Norwood , Mass ., office, 1-5 p.m.; March 27, Ph iladelphia office , 11-4 p.m. • C.A. Robinson: March 24, San Francisco office, 9 a. m.-4 p.m.; March 26, Los Angeles office, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. • Greater Southern: March 28, 12-4 p.m. • Atlas Distributing: March 25, 10 a.m .-4 p.m. • Pacific Vend : April 2, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. PLAY METER MAGAZINE , March 1993, Volume 19, No. 4. Copyright 1993 by Skybird Publishing Company. PLAY METER MAGAZINE (UPS 358-350) is published monthly, except for the two issues in January. Publish ing 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. Advert isin g rates are availabl e upon request. NO PART OF THE MAGAZINE MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION . The editors are not responsib le for unsolicited manuscripts. PLAY METER MAGAZINE buys ALL RIGHTS, unless otherwi se specified , to accepted manuscripts, cartoons, art work, an d ph otograph s. Second-class postage pai d 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 MARCH 1993