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NEWS BULLETIN licensing requirements for gaming equipment manufacturers. With approval by the Victoria Gaming Control Board we have taken a major step forward in our long-range international marketing strategy. Australia is the second largest gaming market in the world. The country offers a tremendous opportunity to market both our video lottery and slot machines. " WMS video gaming machines are already m play m the United States and Canada. IFPA FUTURE UNCERTAIN It is ironic that on the heels of its most successful event to date. the Fourth Annual World Pinball Championship held in April, the International Flipper Pinball Association's future is in jeopardy. The association was incorporated in July 1990 as a non-profit trade association dedicated to the promotion. recognition. competition, and standardization of operatorrun pinball leagues and tournaments. IFPA executive director Doug Young confirmed that there are going to be some changes in the support structure of the association following the curtailment of funding by pinball manufacturers. Said Young, "The association's momentum is at its highest peak. More and more people are becoming believers. There are a lot of very enthusiastic pinball league operators out there right now. We hope they continue their efforts and that we will be here to provide guidance and advice. The players want to play." PLAYER SURVEY RELEASED BY AAMA Over 4,000 players from key demographic areas in the United States were polled in the recent American Amusement Machine Association's Player/Market Survey. Among the facts that emerged: 96 percent of children unde r the age of 18 said their parents either completely approve or don 't care that they spend time playing coin-op video games. AAMA promotion committee chairman Rich Babich of Colorado Game Exchange said, "This is by far one of the most rewarding projects our association has taken on in recent years. It was very important to us, for a number of reasons, to accumulate some of this valuable information." Players were surveyed in a variety of locations , from arcades and family fun centers to pizza parlors and bowling centers. Questions covered these areas: favorite games. where games are played, how the player would make games more fun , and where players obtain money to play games. Players were also asked about their TV preferences, hobbies. and the like. To obtain a copy of the survey, contact AAMA. 450 E. Higgins Road, Suite 201, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007; (708) 2909088; FAX (708) 290-9121. The non-AAMA member cost is $100. NANI TESTING DELAYED Proponents of the National Amusement Network Inc., a project that AMOA claims could revolutionize the nation's coin-op industry, has been delayed because of unexpected costs. "It's going to get started just as soon as the hardware people get back with the communication board," said AMOA president R.A. Green III. He added, "The first quotes were kind of high. " AMOA officials had planned to start a 90-day test (using Midway's NBA JAM Tournament Edition) in Ohio this summer. followed shortly by a similar test in Kansas. The network could eventually link over 100,000 game terminals in the United States, and later, terminals in Canada and Mexico. Green remains undaunted, saying, "I still believe people will be able to play test models at AMOA Expo '94 in September." DELAWARE PASSES FORM OF VIDEO LOTTERY Delaware has passed the Horseracing Redevelopment Act that authorizes a video lottery in the state's three race tracks to provide non- state-supported assistance in the form of increased economic activity for the harness and thoroughbred horseracing industries. The definition of video lottery is broad, covering reel games and allowing coin hoppers on the machines instead of ticket printers. The Delaware State Police will regulate the program. BLOCKBUSTER FOCUSES ON CHILDREN'S MARKET Blockbuster Entertainment Corp., the Ft. Lauderdale. Fla.based video and music store giant, is now in a position to be the country's leading indoor playground chain. A merger served as the catalyst. First. Discovery Zone Inc. agreed to acquire Leaps & Bounds Inc. from McDonald's Corp. for 5.5 million shares of Discovery Zone stock. At the same time. Blockbuster exercised its option to increase its ownership in Discovery Zone from 20 percent to 50. l percent. Discovery Zone was founded in Chicago in 1990 and had 166 indoor playground locations (owned or franchised) at the end of 1993. Leaps & Bounds, started by McDonald's in 1991, owns and operates 49 indoor playgrounds. According to H. Wayne Huizenga, chairman of Blockbuster. "The combination of Discovery Zone and Leaps & Bounds creates a pre-eminent children's entertainment company. Outof-home entertainment for children is a rapidly expanding industry, both domestically and internationally. Our increased ownership of Discovery Zone will enable us to capitalize on these growth opportunities. while at the same time realizing the benefits of cross-promoting these businesses with our video and music stores. " In a separate move, Discovery Zone plans to acquire Blockbuster's 57 franchised FunCenters and issue Blockbuster 4.5 million shares of Discovery Zone stock in return. COASTAL SCHEDULES SUMMER LEAVE Coastal Amusements Inc .. the Lakewood, N.J.-based manufacturer of novelty and redemption. equipment, will close its factory for the company's annual summer leave. Effective closing date s are Aug. 29 through Sept. 5. During this time Coastal's shipping, receiving, service, and parts departments will be closed. Customers are asked to keep these dates in mind when placing game or parts orders. The management and staff will resume their normal schedule on Sept 6. If assistance is needed, contact Coastal, (908) 905-6662 weekdays between the hours of8 a.m. and 5 p.m. INDUSTRY NEWSMAKERS Jim Belt, an 18-year industry veteran, has joined the staff of American Laser Games as regional sales manager. Rebecca Ellis. a marketing professional with four years in the coinop world. has been named deputy director of the American Amusement Machine Association. Look for more details in the September "Who's News." EQUIPMENT POLL ERROR WMS GAMING AUTHORIZED IN VICTORIA Two dedicated video games from Namco-America were mistakenly not rated in the June Equipment Poll. Both Ridge Racer and Suzuka 8 Hours 2, which were highly rated in May and again in July, should have appeared in the June Top 10. Apologies to Namco and its customers. WMS Gaming Inc .. a subsidiary of Williams Electronics Corp. , is now authorized to sell gaming equipment in the Australian state of Victoria. Richard Currie, president of WMS Gaming, said, "Victoria has some of the world's most arduous PLAY METER 3 AUGUST1994