Price: £2.50

July 4 – July 10, 2014 • No. 2375 • www.coinslot.co.uk028 DOND Midas Touch_test 15/06/2014 22:26 Page 1

COMMENT

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Industry news 4Seaside amusements 10Pushers report 12B2B Listings 22Latest machine charts 26Classified ads and opps 27Comment & Analysis 30Newsweek 32

COINSLOT

....While the long-termfuture of UK coin-op istough to predict withapps, consoles and themuch-reported unevenB2 playing field combin-ing to keep the pressureon, those still active inthe industry look likethey’re standing onfirmer ground...

The Gambling Commiss

UK national machine operatorGamestec is planning to offer

an improved experience for cus-tomers of its TabBOXX pull-tablottery terminals. Operatedexclusively by the company inthe pub sector, the units willincorporate an all-new softwaresolution created by FatSpanner.The aim, according to the opera-tor, is to enhance functionalityfrom a customer perspective andas a generator of money for goodcauses.

Gamestec and TabBOXX haveraised more than £1m for chari-ties including the Roy CastleLung Foundation and The DameKelly Holmes Legacy Trustthrough the sale of pull-tab tick-ets. Both firms, however, seek tobuild on that success and seeFatSpanner’s software solution

as a key driver in taking the ter-minals to the next level.

Explaining more, Gamestecproduct manager StefanPodolanski noted: “We wanted toreposition the way in whichTab-BOXX is perceived from merelybeing a pull tab lottery vendingmachine to a terminal with muchmore functionality. The new soft-ware being incorporated intothe machine will allow connec-tivity, real time advertising space,SMS marketing and, should wewish, the ability to ‘regionalise’some of our activities. However,the intrinsic appeal of TabBOXXremains - it still vends a paperticket offering the chance to wina range of prizes worth up to£2,000 in the pub environment.”

Edward Nation, UK opera-tions manager for TabBOXX,

DATAThe Gambling Commission’sindustry statistics are publishedtwice a year (usually June andNovember). This documentprovides the latest informationon each industry sector -arcades, betting, bingo,casinos, gaming machinemanufacturers, lotteries (otherthan the National Lottery) andremote gambling.According to the Commission:“Up to March 2012, premisesfigures reported in thisdocument were based onlicensing authoritynotifications. Data from thissource tended to be somewhatincomplete.” As a result, fromMarch 2013 onwards, premisesfigures are based on operators’most recent regulatory return.This approach relies solely onoperators for information ontheir premises and provides themost robust premisesinformation to date.

It added: “Because the sourceof the data has changed, thefigures from 31 March 2013onwards should be seen as thefirst points in a new series andnot compared to the previousdata.” Despite somepredictable further industrycontraction, however, there areplenty of signs that at leastcertain sectors of the UK coin-op market are beginning tofight back and prove that wherethere is a coin mech there canbe brass.

Although the Commissionhas been collecting data on

Software solution cboost TabBOXX peOPERATORS

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ESSENTIAL GUIDE

Are we getting to grips withschool holidays for the sector?

AMUSEMENTS

For once, people who liketo be pushed around

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mmission’s methodology

gaming machine manufacturerssince 2007, it has only recentlybeen reporting it in any detaildue to concerns about the accu-racy of the data provided byoperators. The Commissionstated: “This section of theIndustry Statistics will continueto expand in future editions as

we are able to report more accu-rate and varied information inrespect to the manufacture,supply and distribution ofgaming machines.” The com-plete Industry Statistics docu-ment can be found on thegamlingcommission.gov.ukwebsite.

agreed that FatSpanner’ssystem will greatly improvewhat is already a proven prod-uct. “With a roadmap agreed forcontinual development in ourproducts, we are really excitedabout how we can improve ouroffering to both pub retailers

and our chosen charities andtrusts,” he said.

Paul Slavin, developmentdirector at FatSpanner added:“We’re all looking forward tohelp drive the product forwardand help to raise even moremoney for great causes.”

hile certain sectors of the UKcoin-op industry have seenan uplift since 2012, others

haven’t been quite so fortunate,according to the latest GamblingCommission Industry Statistics.

Numbers of Cat B1, B2, B3 and Dmachine numbers have increasedin recent years, according to theGambling Commission, but Cate-gory B4 and C machines havedeclined during the same period.Whilst Category D machines haveseen large growth since April 2011-March 2012, the increase can inpart be accounted for by the report-ing of electronic bingo terminalsby a small number of operators.

The total GGY for Category B1,B2, B3 and D machines across allgambling sectors showed growthin each of the reporting periods. B2Category machines generated 67per cent of the total machines GGYin the period October 2012-Sep-tember 2013.

As the Commission does notlicense pubs, clubs, working men’sclubs or family entertainment cen-tres operating under a localauthority permit, it does not col-lect regulatory returns for thosebusinesses.

The number of people workingin the industry has declinedslightly overall between March2013 and September 2013, contin-uing the trend seen in previouspublications. The lotteries (ELM -external lottery managers) andremote sectors experienced anincrease in the number of employ-ees between March 2013 and Sep-tember 2013. All other sectorsreported a decrease.

In previous publications, head-count figures were averageddependent upon the number ofreturns submitted within thereporting period. This publication,however, uses the figures detailedon the latest regulatory return sub-mitted before the reporting date, in

order to provide the most accurateand up to date figures possible.

As at 31 March 2014, there were508 adult gaming centre licencesand 179 family entertainmentcentre licences held by 554 opera-tors. FEC employee numbers havebeen in steady decline since 2009.For AGCs, employee numbers havefallen across the five-year period (inpart driven by the recording of staffnot directly involved in the AGC).

The average number of gamingmachines in AGCs has declinedyear-on-year across the five-yearperiod. In the period October 2012-September 2013, the number ofgaming machines in AGCs

accounted for 30 per cent (31 percent in April 2012-March 2013) ofthe total number of machinesacross all regulated gambling sec-tors. Gaming machine GGY inAGCs accounted for 12 per cent (12per cent in April 2012-March 2013)of gaming machine GGY across allsectors. B3 GGY has grown 31 percent since April 2009-March 2010.

In the period October 2012-Sep-tember 2013, the number of gamingmachines in FECs accounted for 18per cent (18 per cent in April 2012-March 2013) of the total number ofmachines across all regulated gam-bling sectors. Gaming machineGGY in FECs accounted for 3 percent (3 per cent in April 2012-March2013) of gaming machine GGYacross all sectors.

Unsurprisingly, the number ofemployees in the gaming machinetechnical sector (the Commission’sparlance for manufacturers, suppli-ers and software manufacturers)has dwindled from 7,528 on 31March 2010 to 6,648 on 30 Sep-tember 2013.

Commission figures revealindustry ups and downs

The most recently-published Gambling Commission Industry Statistics documentshow that Category B1, B2, B3 and D machine numbers have increased between October2012-September 2013. But, as usual, there is devil in some of the detail.

REPORT

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ong-established British holi-day resort business Pontin’shas awarded Playnation the

contract to maintain, service andsupport over 900 amusementmachines across its six UK parks.

This latest contract win for Play-nation expands its growing nationalservice only offer. Playnation pridesitself on its national service infra-structure underpinned by a robustservice control centre based at Play-nation’s headquarters in Runcorn,and a field team of over 150 experi-enced colleagues, all equipped withthe latest technology.

Ryan Collinge, sales director atPlaynation (pictured), said: “We areextremely pleased to have come toan agreement with Pontin’s and arevery excited to get things going. As abusiness we offer machines and

services to the leisure sector acrossthe UK and this deal brings thenumber of machines under our man-agement and support to over20,000.”

Mark Chapman, chief operatingofficer at Playnation, said: “We workclosely with our clients to provide aunique and bespoke level of service.As an operator ourselves, we under-stand the importance of maximisingmachine uptime and work hard toensure our business customers areable to provide a first rate offer totheir end customer.”

Playnation currently operatesmachines in over 1,500 locationswithin holiday parks, bowling alleys,airports, and motorway service sta-tions, including Bunn Leisure,Haven, Darwin Leisure, Tenpin, Whit-bread, and Pets at Home.

Residents in coin-opstronghold Withernsea

have been having their sayon how the town’s prome-nade should be improved.The Withernsea and SouthEast Holderness Regenera-tion Partnership held thepublic consultation by thePier Towers last weekend.

East Riding Council hasappointed architectsBauman Lyons to help themproduce the improvementplan, which it is hoped willhelp attract the funding todeliver ideas.

Withernsea town coun-

cillor Brian Cloke attendedthe event as a resident. Hetold local press: “Amongthe ideas included extend-ing the toilet facilities toadd showers to encouragewater sports. People alsowant to see the seafrontand town to feel more closetogether.”

Councillor Kevan Hough,chair of the regenerationpartnership’s SeafrontImprovement Group, said:“It is important as manypeople as possible havetheir say and tell us whatthey want to see. There was

a lot of support for thebeach huts. The architecthas taken the ideas and willwork towards a draft plan.”

The plans to improve thetown’s promenade are oneof many projects takingplace to improve With-ernsea, which has anumber of arcades andFECs including Teddy’sAmusements’ FantasyIsland, Game King, SmilesFor Miles and W & J ShawsPastimes.

Work is nearing comple-tion on a new £960,000 fish-ing compound in the town

and more than £400,000 isbeing spent to create theMeridian Centre, a multi-functional community hall.

Cllr Hough added: “Allthese projects show thetown is moving forward. Ifpeople see this kind ofinvestment, there is morechance they will invest inthe town. It also increasesconfidence in Withernsea.”

It is hoped a plan couldbe in place by the end ofAugust. Once the plan iscomplete, the group willlook at possible fundingand grants.

Withernsealooks to securefurtherinvestmentRESORT REPORT

Playnation securesPontin’s contract OPERATORS

Growing player in the family entertainment coin-op machine sector, Playnation, has secured anew contract with holiday camp specialist Pontin’s.

LEGISLATION

The effectiveness of gambling legislation hasbeen attacked by a Dundee councillor after the

licensing board allowed Tesco staff to install twoslot machines in their canteen.

Councillor Lesley Brennan (pictured)bemoaned the fact that restricted legal groundsmade it impossible for the council’s licensingboard to block the move.

The supermarket’s staff social committee clubsought the machines for the Tesco Extra store onKingsway West, with a representative explainingthe cash raised from employees playing themachines would boost charity fundraising efforts.

Councillor Brennan asked if the council couldblock the move, but was told the measures at theirdisposal were too limited.

“The grounds for objection relate to whetherchildren have access to the machines and whetherthe applicant has had a previous gaming licencerevoked,” she told local press.

“Obviously in this case none of these thingsapply as the venue is a supermarket staff canteen.”

She continued: “A big issue with problem gam-bling is access to gambling opportunities, and Iam concerned about this aspect with Tesco. Willthere be any regulation or control over employ-ees’ use of the machines? When I asked about whatprotection there would be for people who have aproblem with their gambling, the Tesco represen-tative said this would be a human resources issuefor the company.”

Brennan concluded: “I don’t really think this isthe point, but the case sums up the inadequacy ofgambling legislation and how the hands of thecouncil are tied.”

The licensing board endorsed the previousdecision of the policy and resources committee incalling for legal changes to allow gambling to bemore tightly controlled.

The council want power over the location andnumber of betting offices to be devolved back tolocal councils and to regulate and restrict adver-tising of gambling establishments and sites. Theirconstitution submitted with their application saidthe committee’s role is to use revenue from thepool table and slotmachines to organisestaff events,through a socialfund.

There is no ref-erence to controlsfor slot machineuse, although thereis a paragraph stat-ing that allm e m b e r sshall betreated withrespect.

Dundeecouncillorattacksgambling rules

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INDUSTRY AMUSEMENTS LEISURE B2B COMMENT NEWSWEEK

REPORT The pushers sectorcontinues to drive forward, as theEssential Guide discovers. 12

According to the Gambling Com-mission’s latest Industry Statis-

tics document, the overall turnoverfigures for bingo have decreased by13 per cent between the reportingperiods (October 2012-September2013). Main stage bingo sawturnover decline by more than£104m (15 per cent), Prize bingoturnover has declined nearly £44m(8 per cent) and mechanised bingoturnover has declined by £31.5m(60 per cent) between the report-ing periods.

The overall turnover figures forbingo indicate that mechanisedbingo continues to be the most prof-itable bingo game, reporting GGYof over £260m from October 2012-

September 2013. Main stage bingoand prize bingo GGY have declinedby over £25m and £18m respec-tively across the reporting periods.

The make-up of gaming machinesin bingo clubs has changed in recentyears. The introduction and wide-spread use of electronic bingo ter-minals (EBTs) by a number ofproviders accounts for much of theincrease in Category C and CategoryD machines since April 2010-March2011. Originally introduced to themarket as Category D machines, theevidence suggests that a number ofthe handheld bingo terminals nowoperate with Category C content.

In the period October 2012-Sep-tember 2013, the number of gaming

machines in bingo licensed prem-ises accounted for 29 per cent (12per cent in April 2009-March 2010)of the total number of machinesacross all gambling sectors. Gamingmachine GGY in bingo licensedpremises accounted for 12 per cent(11 per cent in April 2009-March2010) of gaming machine GGYacross all sectors.

The increases in GGY for Cate-gory B3 and C machines is in partdue to a number of operators put-ting in place better systems torecord GGY by category of machine,having previously recorded thisdetail as a total of GGY for allmachines on site, and captured as‘aggregated categories’.

Mechanised bingocontinues to dominateland-based sector

BINGO

Bingo’s recovery is morefrail than most would careto believe. Latest GamblingCommission statisticsreveal that the sector - preBudget changes it shouldbe said - are worringlydown with £170m+ lostfrom the sector in the yearto September 2013. But,the sector remains a crucialplayer in the gamingmachines sector, althoughland based operations wereconceding to the downwardtrends. Not a happy picture,true, but changes in taxrates may offer somerespite in the currentaccounting term?

FLOOD

Businesses at coin-opstronghold Skegness

have suffered flooddamage following heavyrain. Flash floods in Skeg-ness affected hotels, abingo hall, shops andhomes after rain fell atabout 1pm on June 24.One eyewitness said theseafront looked ‘like ariver’ during the heavyrain in the afternoon.

Lincolnshire CountyCouncil said there wasonly ‘minor damage’, but

fire crews had to becalled to pump out waterfrom properties.

Brenda Hunter, man-ager of the GrosvenorHotel in the town’s NorthParade, told local press:“I had a panicked phone

call from staff memberssaying we were floodingdownstairs. There wasabout 2in in our ladies’toilets, it had come inthrough the wall.”

Hunter added that thehotel’s wooden parquetballroom floor was stillsoaking wet and mightneed to be replaced. Shesaid: “We’re coming into(our) busy season so if westarting pulling stuff upnow we’re going to losebusiness. I’ve never seenanything like that.”

Skegness Town coun-

cillor Sue Binch said shesaw some of the damagecaused by the heavy rain.She stated: “Somebodyshowed me some pic-tures of the seafront andit was just like a river.”

Binch saw a bingo hallin North Parade whereflood water had comethrough the back doorand soaked half thecarpet. A Met Officespokeswoman said it waslikely the flash floodingwas caused by intensedownpours of about30mm of rain an hour.

Skegness flash floods cause damage to resort

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hoto-Me Interna-tional plc, theinstant service

equipment group, hasannounced its results forthe year to 30 April 2014.Among the highlights areEBITDA up by 6.4 per centfrom £44.9m to £47.8mand pre-tax profits of£30.1m from £24.3m - a23.8 per cent increase.

John Lewis, the com-pany’s non-executivechairman, said: “It hasbeen another excellentyear for the Group and an

important one in terms ofour future development.Our operations divisiongrew revenue by 1.5 percent and operating profitsby 12.6 per cent and con-siderable progress wasmade in our laundry prod-uct Revolution, where wesuccessfully relocatedmanufacturing to Hun-gary and where the aver-age takings on the unitsdeployed fully justify ourconfidence in this prod-uct for the future.”

He added: “Sales and

servicing revenuedeclined substantially aswe expected but lowercosts plus profits of £1.3mfrom sales of Revolutionunits meant a return tohealthy profits. Going for-ward, because of themuch smaller size of salesand servicing and its effec-tive absorption into theoperations in France, wewill no longer be report-ing it separately and theGroup will report purelyalong geographic lines.”

Cash generation

remained strong forPhoto-Me and the groupfurther increased its netcash balance to £63.1m.

Lewis concluded:“Photo booth numbersrose by a healthy 5.1 percent over the year and weexpect to be able to con-tinue to expand this estatewhich is benefiting fromthe introduction of theStarck booths and therelocation of productionto China. The manufactur-ing capacity for Revolu-tion is steadily increasing

in line with our plans andexcellent returns arebeing generated. Weremain on track to have2,000 units in the field bythe end of December2015. Thus the group’stwo core products areboth in excellent shapeand well positioned forfurther growth. Subject tothe risks and uncertain-ties detailed in the busi-ness and financial review,the Board anticipates fur-ther significant progressover the coming year.”

AMUSEMENTS

The Bandai NamcoAmusements truck tour

has just completed its finalweek and the firm hasdeclared the latest whistle-stop journey of UK arcadesas a huge success.

“We couldn’t havewished for better weatherover the past few weeks,this combined with ourcurrent strong productrange has helped to makethis one of our best trucktours ever,” said JohnCrompton.

On the truck this yearwere some of the com-pany’s strongest redemp-tion pieces, including TripleTurn, Goal Line Rush andPac-Man Swirl. On the videofront, customers were ableto see Alpine Racer andDead Heat Riders on board.

“The truck tour is alwaysa really positive exercise forus and we do make goodsales from it,” added GeoffSpencer. “It gives operatorsa final chance to see theproduct before the seasonstarts in earnest.”

Photo-Me postsencouraging resultsPHOTO BOOTHS

Photo booth specialist Photo-Me has announced strong profitgrowth, a confident outlook and dividends up by 25 per cent in itslatest annual results.

Bandai Namcodeclares its latestroad trip a success

GEOFF SPENCER, JIMMY NORMAN FROMTHE GOLDEN HORSESHOE AND CLARENCE

PIER IN SOUTHSEA, JOHN CROMPTON

RESORTS

Two amusementsbusinesses in Barry

Island have helped sup-port a police communityinitiative designed tostop alcohol consump-tion on the resort’sbeaches.

Now in its fourth year,the 2014 Barry IslandAlcohol PreventionPoster competitionencouraged local chil-dren to send out a mes-sage to anyone thinkingof drinking on thebeach.

To encourage entries,Barry Island PromenadeAmusements donated aSmuggler’s Cove golfgame and ice-creamand Barry Island Pleas-ure Park gave £25 intokens for the first prize.

The winner, local pri-mary school pupil Geor-gia Jones, will have herposter displayed atbusinesses in BarryIsland, and at train sta-tions to re-enforce themessage that alcohol isan unwelcome visitor tothe Welsh seasideresort.

Run by the BarryNeighbourhood PolicingTeam, the competitionforms part of OperationBlue Sea, which will seepolice crackdown onoffenders by deployingextra patrols until theend of August.

Amusementsbusiness aidanti-alcoholinitiative

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LICENSING

Operators FutureMachines, Light Gaming

and Venue Gaming have alllanded themselves in hotwater with the GamblingCommission in 2014.

For Future Machines, theCommission decided towarn the Licensee undersection 117(1)(a) of theGambling Act 2005 (theAct) and attach a conditionto the operating licence forthe company whichrequires the licensee toconduct routine diligencechecks to ensure that thegaming machines theysupply are only sited onpremises which are appro-priately licensed.

Venue Gaming Limited,meanwhile, had its licencerevoked. Following a

change of control to Ramin-der Singh Sidhu in March2012, Venue Gaming madean application to the Com-mission under section 102(2) (b) of the Act for a deter-mination that its operatinglicence should continue tohave effect.

Commission officialswere not satisfied that theCommission would havegranted the operating

licence had Sidhu been acontroller at the relevanttime and in December2012 the Commission noti-fied Venue Gaming that itwas minded to revoke thelicence. On 31 July 2013 thematter came before a Regu-latory Panel which on 8August 2013 issued itsdetermination confirmingthe decision to refuse thecontinuation of the operat-

ing licence. On 2 September 2013

Venue appealed to the FirstTier Tribunal (Gambling)but subsequently with-drew the appeal on 5 March2014 whereupon the revo-cation of the operatinglicence of Venue GamingLimited took effect.

And finally, The Commis-sion decided to issue aformal warning to LightGaming Limited (trading asRed 9 Gaming) and toattach additional condi-tions to their operatinglicence. The reason for thisbeing that Light Gamingfailed to submit regulatoryreturns and was operatingwithout suitable account-ing procedures.

Furthermore, LightGaming demonstratedpoor financial record keep-

ing in respect of invest-ments received and generalbusiness arrangements. TheCommission stated: “Thelack of a paper trail is a seri-ous omission and falls farshort of the standard ofaccounting and trans-parency we would expectof the holder of an operat-ing licence.”

The Commissionaccepts, however, thatLight Gaming Limited hasacted to bring themselvesinto compliance byaddressing the concernsand in the circumstances awarning and additionalconditions being placed onthe operating licence,requiring the licensee tonotify the Commission ofcertain occurrences, wereconsidered appropriatesanctions.

ech toys are takingover the retailshelves, and Ham-

leys predicts them to be fill-ing stockings too, as theLondon store reveals its TopTen Toys for Christmas2014. Inevitably, a numberof these will feature in prizevendors or behind theredemption counter inarcades and FECs across theUK in 2015.

Leading the way is theWiFi connected doll,designed to help kids withtheir homework, My FriendCayla from Vivid. The dollcan be synced with anAndroid or iOS device viaBluetooth or use speech totext technology to look upanswers online and speakthem back. The doll has apre-defined list of ‘badwords’ and topics, which

she will not talk about.Joining the tech toy

titans being championedby the toyshop this seasonis VTech’s Kidizoom SmartWatch with the ability totake photos, record videosand allow kids to playgames.

Following is the newTeksta T-Rex from Charac-ter Options, which boaststhe movement of the origi-nal Teksta puppies thatmade last year’s list, along-side a host of new dinosaurfeatures. LeapFrog’sLeapTV also makes the listthis season with its educa-tional, active video gamingsystem. LeapTV will hitshelves from October.

Also featuring in theChristmas Hit List this yearis Doh Vinci Style and StoreVanity; Transformers

Chomp and Stomp Grim-lock - a 20in robot thatchanges with one step intoa rampaging dinosaur;Boom Co Rapid Madness, ablaster that can fire 20 dartsin a matter of seconds andfires up to 50ft; and BarbieColour Change Bag featur-ing colour change technol-ogy that allows it to matchover 100 different shades.

Hamleys predicts thatthe new collection ofDisney’s Frozen: Ice Skat-ing Dolls will be a big hitthis year, featuring Elsa andAna in ice skating form.Flair’s interactive monster

Xeno completes the list,presenting a range of emo-tions and movementsthrough its animated LCDeyes with over 40 expres-sions.

Hamleys’ toy buyer,Natalie Rogerson, told toytrade press. “Investment inresearch and development(of tech toys) has really paidoff, because this is the bestcollection I have seen inmany, many years.”

Meanwhile, a collectionof more traditional andwooden toys rank highly inHamleys’ RecommendedToys for Christmas. The

line-up includes My FirstThomas and FriendsMotion Control Thomas,Personalised Necklaces,Hamleys’ own Traditionalwooden range, Palace Petsplush, Turtles action figuresand more.

“Traditional toys are stilla very big deal for Hamleysto recognise traditional andnostalgic play. These are stillthings kids enjoy, so wehave got a lot of woodenproducts and a hugeamount of our sales comesfrom Teddy Bears still,throughout the year,” con-cluded Rogerson.

Trio of operators face regulatory sanctions

Hamleys unveilsits Christmas2014 top ten toysPLUSH AND GIFTS

Tech toys are leading the way this year,according to the Hamleys top ten toys forChristmas list, with My Friend Cayla, TekstaT-Rex and LeapTV all featuring.

COMMISSION

The Statutory Instru-ment (2014 No.1641)

The Gambling (Licens-ing and Advertising) Act2014 (Transitional Provi-sions) Order 2014 (SI)has been laid beforeParliament and is sub-ject to negative resolu-tion.

The transitionalarrangements set out inthe SI enable operatorswho are currently ableto provide facilities forgambling in GreatBritain (because theyhold a licence in an EEAor white listed jurisdic-tion) to continue to doso if their advance appli-cation for a GamblingCommission licence orlicence variation has notbeen determined by 1October 2014.

Operators who meetthis requirement musthave submitted anadvance applicationwith the relevant appli-cation fee by midnighton 16 September 2014to be eligible for a con-tinuation licence.

If the application hasnot been determined by1 October 2014, theapplicant will be issuedwith a continuationlicence that will enablethem to continue tooperate until completionof the applicationprocess.

Licence applicationsmust be made throughthe online applicationservice on the Commis-sion’s website.

Transitionallicensingarrangementspublished

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RESTORATION

he Spanish City complexin Whitley Bay, formerlyhome to a thriving amuse-

ment arcade, is set to be returnedto its 1910 appearance. Details ofthe restoration plan for SpanishCity have been backed by NorthTyneside councillors and willreturn the listed building to howit looked when it opened in 1910.

The plans represent a signifi-cant step towards the conclusionof the saga which has surroundedthe future of the Dome and willsee the reinstatement of previ-

ously-removed features. Plansinclude bringing back the decora-tive tops to the columns on eitherside of the Dome. Terraced plat-forms will also be rebuilt abovethe building’s ground floor shops.The original style of ground floorshop fronts, and windows anddoors, will return, using detailstaken from salvaged items, plushistoric photographs and plans.

In December 2013, the councilwas awarded a £182,700 grant bythe Heritage Lottery Fund todevelop the restoration strategy. Asecond stage bid will now bemade for £3.5m to help finance

the work. It is hoped that if thesecond HLF bid is approved, workcan start in April next year and becompleted in 2016.

A marketing brochure for thebuilding to attract potential usersis due out this week. This followsapproval for proposed uses,which include community and/orleisure uses on the ground andfirst floors and retail units and cafeon the promenade level.

A conservation plan for Span-ish City by the North of EnglandCivic Trust says the complex has“high architectural significance”as a high quality piece of Edwar-

dian architecture. It also states thatSpanish City is “crucial to under-standing the local history of Whit-ley Bay”, as it stands shoulder toshoulder with other seaside pleas-ure buildings around the country.

When opened in 1910, SpanishCity was a collection of seasidepleasure buildings and grounds,including a theatre, shops, leisureand amusement and ride attrac-tions.

It is estimated that the schemecould attract around 150,000extra visitors to Whitley Bayseafront each year and bring £3minto the local economy.

Alucky player at the MeccaBingo Berryden club in

Aberdeen won £250,000 inJune. The winner, who wishesto remain anonymous, is a 56-year-old man who attends theMecca Bingo Berryden clubregularly with his wife. He hasplans for the windfall, revealingthat he will be paying off hismortgage and retiring next year.

Apparently the winner’s wife,who was sitting next to himwhen he made the winning call,‘nearly fainted’ with shock.

Meccabingo playerscoops 250kPAYOUT

Spanish City to berestored to formerglory - but willthere be room foramusements?

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REGENERATION

Resorts including Paigntonand Torbay could be set to

benefit after tourism projects inSouth Devon were awarded ashare of £450,000 by the gov-ernment’s Coastal Communi-ties Fund.

As a result of the grant, around441 full time jobs could be saved,and up to 38 direct full time jobsand 52 part time jobs created.

The additional money willalso help 100 businesses to inno-vate, reduce costs, developsupply chain networks andsecure future employment inthe region’s shellfish andtourism industries.

The funding follows the£1.4m Torbay received fromthe Coastal Communities Fundlast year to help support jobcreation.

A spokesperson for SouthHams District Council said: “Thisis welcome news to our coastalcommunities and will deliver amajor boost to the region’s fish-ing and tourism industries.

“The project will retain andcreate jobs and apprenticeshipschemes as well as supportinglocal businesses and innovators.These exciting plans will assistthe region’s economy for yearsto come.”

The Coastal CommunitiesFund aims to encourage the eco-nomic development of coastalcommunities by awarding fund-ing to create sustainable eco-nomic growth and jobs.

Since its launch in 2012 it hasawarded grants to 104 organisa-tions across the UK to the valueof £53.6m. This funding is fore-cast to deliver 7,655 jobs andhelp attract around £90m ofadditional funds to coastal areas.

he government is tointroduce newrules that will allow

parents who work inamusement attractions,hotels and restaurants toholiday with their childrenoutside peak season.

It wants to tackle thenumber of term timeabsences, which can be upto 50 per cent higher in tra-ditional tourism hotspot.

Ministers said the rules,which should come intoforce later this year and giveschools greater freedom insetting term dates, couldbenefit seaside resorts.

Education minister Eliz-abeth Truss said: “Where

schools choose to changetheir holiday dates, follow-ing discussion locally withparents and local busi-nesses, there may well be apositive impact on seasideeconomies.

“In areas of high-sea-sonal employment, forexample, small variations toterm-dates agreed locallymay help parents to holidayoutside of peak periods.”

The new rules are part ofthe Deregulation Bill,which has been passed bythe House of Commonsand is currently being scru-tinised in the House ofLords.

The government said it

wanted to enable commu-nication between localcouncils and schools toensure widely differentterm dates are not setacross neighbouring areas.

It has identified a partic-ular problem in areas thathave high levels of employ-ment in the tourism sector.

Last year a third of pri-mary school children inCornwall went absent fora term-time holiday, com-pared to the national aver-age of 20 per cent.

Parents that work intourism jobs are thought tobe too busy to be able totake time off during normalschool holidays, so choose

to take their children out ofclasses at other times of theyear.

Truss added: “The gov-ernment is giving moreschools greater flexibilityto adapt the shape of theschool year in the interestsof their pupils’ education.

“Whilst this will extendan existing flexibility to agreater number of schools,our advice will continue toinclude a clear expectationof schools working witheach other and the localauthority to coordinatedates to avoid unnecessarydisruption to parents andtheir employers.”

A Department for Edu-

cation spokesman told theDaily Mail: “We recognisethe challenges facing par-ents to fit holidays aroundtheir jobs and that’s whywe are giving all schoolsthe flexibility to set theirown term times so they canchange term dates to onesthat work for their pupilsand families.

“The most recent full-year figures show we aremaking progress, with130,000 fewer pupils regu-larly missing school underthis government. We havealso increased fines for tru-ancy and encouragedschools to address theproblem earlier.”

PIERS

The future of Portsmouth’sSouth Parade Pier is once

again up in the air after its co-owner reportedly said he nolonger cared about it.

In March news emerged thatthe pier had been sold to a newconsortium, but Fred Nash saidnothing had been finalised andblamed Portsmouth City Councilfor holding up any sale.

Boards have been put uparound the structure, includingthe amusement arcade at itslandward end, after the council

ruled it was too dangerous forthe public to walk on or under.

Nash told local press: “I justwant to forget about Portsmouth

and just think about the road outof it. I don’t want to come toPortsmouth any more.

“Portsmouth City Council hasgiven us no help, and the issue isthe prospective new ownerscan’t get any reasonable discus-sions out of the council aboutwhat is going on.”

The South Parade Trust haswarned that if the stalemate isn’tbroken and repairs aren’t carriedout the pier is in danger of col-lapsing into the sea.

It has launched an online peti-tion through online campaignsite 38 Degrees that calls on the

council to order Nash and fellowowner Dawn Randall to carry outthe repairs and prevent any fur-ther damage to the Grade II-listed pier.

Leon Reis, chairman of TheSouth Parade Trust, said: “FredNash has never changed histune, he hasn’t spent any moneyon the pier since they bought it in2010.

“I have been saying consis-tently since 2010 that unlessmoney is spent on the pier, it willfall down, and there will be a £4mbill for demolition, or a blightedseafront.”

Grant to aidSouth Devontourism

New rules tomake schoolholidays easier fortourism workers

The problem of when to take schoolholidays for operators and staff atamusement attractions could soon be solvedthanks to a new government bill.

TOURISM

South Parade Pier sale in doubt

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Drop configurationCoin pushers come in a variety ofdenominations, including 10p and20p, but the most popular remainsthe classic 2p games, despite infla-tion devaluing the value of the hum-ble two pence piece.

Golden oldie

Modern pushers can be outfittedwith a range of features to further in-tegrate them with other areas of anarcade. These include modificationsto dispense redemption tickets, orspecial prize platforms that displaymerchandise won by playing on themachine.

Redemptive pushers

Essential Guide to...

The coin drop portion of a pushercan be utilised to produce a series ofof effects, including acrobatic flipsand special bonus rewards. Manu-facturers can also configure coindrops to direct coins towards spe-cific areas of the bed or flow a pro-portion ofcurrencydirectlyinto thecashbox.

Coin Pushers

Essential Guideto Cranes &Prizes Next Week

JULY 4 - JULY 10, 2014

12The Essential

Guide to pushers

22B2B listingsand industrymarketplace

26This week’s

machinecharts

27Classified

sales, job andbusiness

opps

oin pushers have long been one ofthe most popular attractions inamusement arcades around the

country, with kids and adults alike delight-ing in risking their pennies for the chanceto win big. However, their historical pedi-gree does not mean that these games areunresponsive to innovation. As machinesand operators look at ways to shake thingsup, the addition of prizes has provided aboost to this already burgeoning sector.

“Adding prizes to the pusher machinesis basically an extension of the redemptionarea,” explains senior buyer for White-house Leisure, Alan Potter. “Customers canplay and win small prizes, such as keychains or resins, or if they win enough ofthe smaller prizes these can be exchangedfor the larger prizes that normally are ondisplay in the pusher. The main advantageis that the customer keeps playing themachine for a longer time trying to win theprizes on offer - they rarely walk away withcoins anymore.” These additions helpincrease dwell time and drive players tofire more coins in the machine.

Whitehouse carefully selects prizes thatare the most suitable for pushers, utilisingboth licensed products and perenniallypopular toys and keychains. “Small prizesfor the actual beds, such as collectable resinfigurines, keychains and jewellery are themost suitable for coin pushers,” said Potter.“Our most popular items at the momentare our collection of Despicable Me 2 key-chains and stationery products, as well asthe Disney resin figures, but other genericitems such as pool ball and dice keychainshave been popular for many years.”

Even in 2014, the status of pushers isunassailed. “Pushers have been the main-stay of arcades for many years and withoutthem the industry would not be the same,”said Potter. “When other machines andnew innovations have come and gone thefaithful pusher is always there.” However,Potter believes that operators have thepower to boost pusher fortunes even fur-ther. “Manufacturers have been ‘theming’their pushers with better graphics, light-ing and music which has certainly helpedmake the pushers more attractive,” he said.

“But it is the operator who makes the realdifference as they need to be operated cor-rectly with the right merchandise - you canreally see a difference if a machine has theright product in it or not.”

It’s not only the addition of prizes thathas seen pushers performing well inrecent years, manufacturers have taken thetime to bring new ideas into machinedesign that have benefitted their perform-ance in the field.

“Pusher manufacturers have made anumber of improvements over the yearsall of which have benefitted them,” notedPotter. “Other than the obvious design andlighting improvements, they have addedfaster coin slots, made the winning chutesmuch bigger to the let the prizes comeout much easier and created larger areaswithin the pusher to display additionalproduct. The area above a pusher isnormal quite a ‘dead’ area and some man-ufacturers have started to use this spacefor display cabinets and TV displays show-ing other attractions within the amuse-ment centre.”

PRIZES

Coin pushers: aprize attractionThe addition of prizes tothe enduringly popularfield of coin pushers hashelped establish this classof machines as one of themost exciting prospects inthe amusement andleisure industry. AlanPotter of WhitehouseLeisure explains.

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Essential Guide to ... Coin PushersSector Overview

SWOT ANALYSIS PUSHERSrom a customer perspective, thereare several obvious attractions ofplaying pushers. They are gener-

ally considered fun and simple to play. Fur-thermore, they are the type of machinethe whole family can play together, at asmall cost.

From an operator’s perspective, mean-while, they provide reliable and steadyrevenue. They are usually easy to main-tain. And more importantly they attractthe casual gamer who might not spendmoney on other, more complex,machines.

A quality of pushers which is often over-looked is their versatility. Nowadays push-ers come in several different shapes andsizes, including hexagonal units and rec-tangular eight-players designed to be posi-tioned in the centre of the arcade floorthrough to single-player pushers whichcan be placed against the wall. The fact thatpushers now come in so many formats nat-urally means that they are also available atplenty of different price points.

Coin pushers are the lifeblood of thecoastal amusement arcade and, to someextent, inland FECs, and have providedentertainment for generations of families,while creating a profitable revenue streamfor all links of the coin-op supply chain.

While things have changed somewhatsince pushers’ formative days in the1960s, the way they play and are oper-ated remains pretty similar. While anoticeable shift towards redemption hasoccurred in recent years, the simplicityof entering a coin and watching how itsjourney affects the rest of the coinsbehind the glass retains its fascinationfor all generations.

While other segments of coin-opobsess over innovation, technology andbrand awareness, the pusher sector hasremained largely unchanged for decades -certainly in terms of the end user’s expe-rience. The phrase ‘Why fix it when it’snot broken’ could have been inventedspecifically for pushers. On one hand, no-one is going to become a millionaire onthe proceeds of their 2p pusher takings,but on the other which other coin-opsector could legitimately claim to consis-tently attract the time, attention andmoney of the whole family demographicfor decade after decade?

Behind the simplistic facade, however,are a host of new features which haveemerged in the last few years, such as coinflipping, fast feeds, interactive video-based features, closed loop systems and,of course, instant ticket and prize payout.

A new pusher is an expensive piece ofequipment, as everyone involved will tes-tify, but its appeal is timeless. If they’relooked after, pushers last many years, andprovide a steady ROI to operators with aneye on the long game.

If a child is given a five pound noterather than a tenner to spend, the obviousway of making that money go further is tochange it into two pence pieces and playthe pushers, rather than have to shove apound coin into a video game, air hockeyor pool table for example.

Even if 2p and 10p coins went out ofcirculation, it seems that the coin pusherwill continue to be a fixture in FECs,bowling alleys and cineplexes up anddown the country as the de-commis-sioned coins would simply be used astokens. The cream of the UK’s pushermanufacturers and distributors as fea-tured in the coming pages have consis-tently delivered the goods since pushersfirst emerged in 1963 and that heritage,expertise, creativity and determinationshould see the sector survive and thrivefor plenty of years to come.

The bottom line is, like it or not, with-out pushers, it is unlikely that some ofthe UK’s seaside FECs could not operateviably.

F

SWOT ANALYSIS

While modernity, gadgetry andthe latest in high-tech equipmentunderpin most operations worththeir salt these days, thecountry’s leading amusementarcades inevitably feature a dozenor more pushers, provingwithout doubt that no modernFEC can do without coin-op’smost imposing and frill-freeproducts.

STRENGTHS

• Little maintenance is required• Very easy to update in terms of

branding, gifts and coins within• Steady earners

WEAKNESSES

• A maximum coin-in of 2p or 10p willnever be enough to retire on

•Time consuming and costly cash han-dling issues

OPPORTUNITIES

• Latest modular designs allow for experimentation and expansion

• Gifts, swag and ticket bundles can beadded to reinvigorate machine

• Thriving second hand market becauseof machine longevity

THREATS

• Gradual move towards ‘cashless society’

• Arcade and FEC closures

Pushersoffermorethanmeetsthe eye

2375-p12-22-Essential_Coinslot NEW 01/07/2014 14:25 Page 2

Wilson House, Bentalls, Pipps Hill, Basildon, Essex SS14 3BX, EnglandTelephone: +44 (0) 1268 274284 Fax: +44 (0) 1268 274285 E-Mail: sales@whitehouseleisure.co.uk

www.whitehouseleisure.co.uk

Whitehouse Leisure have afantastic variety of pusheritems, your customerswill never see thesame items twice.

Whitehouse Leisure have afantastic variety of pusheritems, your customerswill never see thesame items twice.

KEYCHAINS JEWELLERY SWEETS RESINS GIFTS

Coinslot JULY 4 - JULY 10, 2014

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B2B

Essential Guide to ... Coin PushersMarket Perspectives

Once your average visitor to a seaside arcade is through thedoor it’s the pusher that dominates the space and attracts

punters like fluff to belly buttons. In other words, the pusherprovides the familiarity and ambience of the seaside arcadefloor.

Technology-wise, the pusher has of course evolved big time,with video footage, fast coin feed, multiplier features and soon, but it has done so while keeping its core appeal. The idea ofpushing a coin in and watching its erratic journey onto theever-moving beds stays as simple and uncomplicated as italways did.

How many forms of coin-op entertainment can legitimatelyclaim to have lived through the process of decimalisation? Thissurvival has been helped, big time, by the 2p coin, which wouldlargely lurk down the back of the settee, in giant cider bottlesor in buskers’ guitar cases were it not for pushers. How a prod-uct that recycles vast amounts of dirty old copper coinage canbe as popular now as it was four decades ago is anyone’sguess. Whisper this, but even the 10p pusher looks like it isfinally becoming a standard FEC piece too - as is the coin andticket-out pusher.

The outstanding attraction of the pusher, however, is the rit-ualistic behaviour it encourages. People of all ages will happilyfeed the pushers with a view to bagging that swag prize posi-tioned tantalisingly on the end of the pusher bed until theircoins run out. With greater percentages of pushers beingticket-out nowadays, their importance to a seaside operator’sbottom line is perhaps just as vital as it ever was.

In summary, one could easily remove a video game, noveltypiece or prize vendor from a coastal arcade and it would still beseen as a coastal arcade. To a large extent, you could performa similar experiment with many of the gaming and amusementmachines in contemporary operations and the arcade wouldremain eminently recognisable for what it is.

If you made the bold move, however, of removing all pushersfrom the seaside operation equation, you could virtually guar-antee that the arcade would become just another seasidebuilding in need of a lick of paint. It will be recognisable by itslocation, facade and lighting, but that’s where the similarity toa busy seaside arcade would end. Pulling the pusher from aFEC would be like removing the make-up from Kiss - unthink-able and slightly grotesque.

But let’s give credit where it’s due. The pusher has survivedthe test of time - and all the major distributors will testify to therobust nature of UK-manufactured models.

VIEWPOINT

When pushcomes to shove

Besides being the quintessential seaside arcadepiece, dominating more floor space than most, thepusher serves as a literal test bed for swag whilevirtually guaranteeing a long term, hassle freereturn on investment.

forewordalex lee

any people, including those in the indus-try, fondly recollect hours spent on coinpushers during their younger years. “I

think there is a lot more in terms of an experi-ence from playing a coin pusher than simplythe gameplay,” said Harry Levy’s Chris Clifton.“Coin pushers reflected a fond part of my child-hood memory; they represented family outings,going to the beach, and trying to get that bigstack of coins to fall down the coin shoot. I feelthe whole experience of playing a coin pusher,no matter your age, can’t be matched by moremodernised machines and that’s why I feel theyare still popular.”

What attracted kids and adults to pushers inyears gone by was most often its eye-catchingappearance. That attract factor remains vitallyimportant today, explains Clifton: “Inevitablylooks play a big part in the success of a pusherand is probably the biggest contributing factor.Trying to make a machine different so it feelsunique is also quite a large part of making a suc-cessful pusher.”

Game designers can use an array of tools tomake their machines more appealing, includinganimated top signs, multi-coloured LEDs andmuch more besides. “We feel quality is a majorcontributor,” added Clifton. “Making sure ourpushers are made to thehighest standards ensureswe get repeat orders.”

Operators also tend tofind that, in spite of infla-tion, traditional low-valuecurrency games are stillthe overall favourite.“Whilst we have experi-mented with various currencydenominations in many sites,we havefound thatthe tried andtested classic2p play is byfar the mostpopular andrewarding,”said Clifton.“Not only are2 pence push-ers morerecognisableand popular, theyallow the player a lot oftime on the machine to truly enjoy them-selves. That’s not to say 10 pence pushers don’twork; we just find they do better in more suited

or specific sites, such as bowling alleys.”Placing multiplayer machines in a venue,

rather than just a freestanding pusher, is also asurefire way to increase revenue. “The typicalfamily or group of friends would want to play acoin pusher together as and this is where multi-player coin pushers are great,” said Clifton. “Tech-nically, it allows us to add things like sharedfeatures, extravagant top signs and is a lot morecost effective in general.”

As the landscape of arcades continues toevolve, Harry Levy are working to ensure thatpushers are not left behind. The growth ofredemption in recent years has made the idea ofa pusher that dispenses tickets an attractiveproposition for many operators.

“More recently we have implemented ticketon feature to a lot of our pushers, with great suc-cess,” said Clifton. “This not only enables theplayer to play for money from the machine, butalso to work towards a prize; a great incentivewe find. It also enables us to be extremely cre-ative with the features on our machines and addanother level of gameplay to the classic pusherconcept.”

REDEMPTION

The building blocksof a great pusher

Harry Levy’s Chris Clifton breaks down the elements of a successfulpusher and looks ahead to a future filled with redemption.

M

2375-p12-22-Essential_Coinslot NEW 01/07/2014 14:30 Page 3

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Essential Guide to ... Coin PushersMarket Perspectives

ushers have long been a profitablecomponent of amusement arcades,encouraging manufactures to try a

variety of new approaches to makingthem even more successful. Along withthese new ideas came machines that wereheavily branded, featuring successfulmovie and gaming licenses from therecent past or well known characters fromthe history of music and cinema.

“I’ve been involved in the business for40 years and I spent 10 years alongsideHarry Levy, developing games,” says MikeAnsell of both Jingle Games and Lordsvale.“Lordsvale were probably one of the firstcompanies, if not the first, to have brandedpushers.”

Mike was key in bringing the Bar Xbranded pushers to market with HarryLevy, based on the successful Electrocoinfruit machines. “It was very successful inthe UK,” he said. “From what I can remem-ber, Bar X was probably the first pusher tohave fruit machine reels.”

Amongst others, Ansell has producedgames featuring the likenesses of ElvisPresley and Marilyn Monroe. “About 15years ago we came out with one of the firstbranded pushers, which was Car Wash,based on the 70s disco movie,” he said. “Itwas very very successful for us and thatled us on to doing a whole range of push-ers, all manufactured by Harry Levy. Every

year we came out with a new 8-player, 6-player or 10-player.”

In 2014, however, although pushersremain a profitable enterprise, Ansell islukewarm on the benefits of investing in abranded license. “Having a brand on apusher, I don’t think it significantlyincreases the income,” he said. “We hadMarilyn Monroe license for a couple ofyears and it didn’t do anything special.Marilyn Monroe is an iconic brand whenyou’re selling posters and T-Shirts, but itdidn’t really work for us on a pusher.”

These days, it’s all about redemption,with Jingle offering a special kit that canadd ticket vending to a number of well-know pushers. “I honestly think that it’scome full circle and adding redemptionto the pushers is a big plus for those oper-ators who have invested in redemption,”said Ansell.

With redemption in place, it then comesdown to how well the operator positionsthe machine in his or her arcade. “Thepushers have a very important place,because they give value for money,” saidAnsell. “Families will go in there and havea certain amount of money to spend,they’ll cash it all into 2ps and spend it onthe pushers. The success of a pusher isdown to the operator and how he pres-ents that pusher with the merchandisethat can be won.”

LICENSING

Branded pusherspopularity waningWith branded machines having been the vogue for pushers fordecades, the time has come to move away from licences andtowards redemption, says Jingle Games’ Mike Ansell.

The longterm success of coin pushers has embedded them in theBritish consciousness as a must-have element of the summer

getaway. “Coin pushers go hand in hand with a trip to the seasideand although they are successful in other locations, the associa-tion is generally with being on holiday and in this environment,”said JNC finance director, John Jennings. “The simple format andthe visibility of the money on the beds, means that these gamesare very tempting, and great fun, for people in the arcades.”

That does not mean, however, that these are relics, rehashingthe same experience over and over. Modern innovations have beensteadily creeping into pusher design, with redemption and prizestwo of the most prominent influences.

“The most successful feature of a coin pusher, of late, has beenthe addition of ticket payout, as well as the usual coin payout,when the bonus is won,” said Jennings. “This capitalised on thegrowth of redemption areas which now make up a significant partof most arcades. The ticket payout creates a buzz around thepusher, which attracts further players to the machine. This hasadded a further dimension to the game as it means that people canplay the pusher for coins, for toys (on the bed), for tickets or for acombination of all three.”

These advances are joined by innovations that make coin push-ers more accessible and more exciting. “Even pushers havemoved with the times,” noted Jennings, “and most recently thevery successful machines are the low coin entry ones with fastfeeds as these appeal to a wider range of players. The most recentfeature, which has been hugely successful on the ClockworkOranges, is the accumulating jackpot ticket payout, which paysout on a particular bed after a specific amount oftime. This attracts players to the machine andmore importantly keeps people coming backfor more.”

All in all, these new ideas are combining tomake the games even more appealing. “Coinpushers attract players of all ages and aregreat games for the whole family to playtogether. With inviting toys positionedon the beds, as well as the coins, kids(and kids at heart) find the pushersirresistible.”

INNOVATION

Augmentingthe classicsAn influx of modern ideas is helping to transform thealready popular coin pusher genre into a hotbed ofinnovation.

P

2375-p12-22-Essential_Coinslot NEW 01/07/2014 14:38 Page 4

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Coinslot: Why do you think that coinpushers have remained popular for

so many years?Kevin Temple: It’s the simple fact theyare fun to play and the experience is notone you can replicate at home on a tablet,mobile or games console. Pushers wereenjoyed by mums and dads in their child-hood, so there is that bit of a nostalgiafeel for them when now taking their kidsto the seaside on a day out.

CS: What are the typical features of asuccessful coin pusher?KT: There are a number of factors to makea successful pusher. The market has seenthe 2p coin become very dominant, withvery new sales of pushers on 10p. The 2pcoin is almost like a token now and thefast feed feature that helps players pushthe merchandise off the bed is a keyfactor. This is coupled with a trend forlarger play deck areas, compared withwhat we have seen previously.

CS: Are there any technological ordesign innovations that have improvedcoin pushers in recent times?KT: I think everyone would agree that thepresentation and lighting that has beenseen in the last few years is what has takenpushers to new levels of success. LED’s

have helped in this area enormously,giving us the ability to change coloursand give an overall fantastic visual pres-entation. This without doubt is one of thekey elements of our Sweet Falls pusher’ssuccess.

CS: Do multi-player coin pusher gameshave particular benefits not enjoyed bystandalone machines?KT: Economy of scale and better returnon capital for the operator are the keyelement. Single player stand alonemachines are not hitting the mark. Theonly exception to this has been Big PrizeWinner, but this puts a slightly differenttwist on the stand alone concept, bygiving four coin entries. This gets fami-lies all playing together on a singlemachine.

CS: What are the advantages of addingplush toys or other merchandise to theprizes that can be won from pushermachines?KT: This is absolutely the key driver topusher success. A pusher has to be offer-ing merchandise or redemption ticketsin addition to the coins. As mentionedearlier, the 2p coin is now a token formany simply to play with to win themerchandise.

An amusementevolutionModern innovations such as plush prizes and modern lighting arepropelling pushers towards a new generation of success, explainsDeith Leisure sales director, Kevin Temple.

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Essential Guide to ... Coin PushersProducts

Surf Side is the brand new, surfingand beach themed six player

pusher made by Harry Levy Amuse-ments. The Surf Side coin pusher fea-tures fun beach themed artwork, seablue coloured doors and panels andlast, but definitely not least, a top signwith a surfer that actually surfs thewaves before your very eyes.

As if that wasn’t enough, themachine also features fantastic highquality sound effects, bright lightingand fast feed coin entries fitted asstandard. Harry Levy believes that thispusher truly is a cut above the rest. Thestrong surfing, beach and summertheme allows players to truly losethemselves whilst playing, in additionto brightening and livening up anyroom it’s in.

The Surf Side is also available as a 12player, for double the fun and doublethe profits, featuring two surfers in thetop sign. The Surf Side is also availableas ticket-on feature, in which, based ona percentage of coins in, players wintickets by lighting up tiles. So don’tmiss out, grab yourself a piece of theaction and take yourself away with SurfSide. You won’t regret it!

ollowing the industry wide shiftto offer prizes in addition to cashin pusher machines, Whitehouse

Leisure has expanded its prize pusheroffering extensively. The range nowencompasses a vast array of products tomeet the increased customer demand,with an emphasis on price, quality andmost importantly, desirability. Theseinclude key chains from the popular‘Fobz’ range, resin figurines from theexclusive ‘Rezins’ collection, plus jew-ellery and ceramics in the form of mugsand money boxes.

Licensed product has become anincreasingly important part of the offering,with many well-known household brandsforming part of the range - all of which haveperformed beyond expectation explainsAlan Potter, senior buyer at Whitehouse:“Initially we developed a number of newlicensed resin designs centred around themost popular Disney brands, such asWinnie the Pooh and Friends and Mickeyand Minnie Mouse. Their collectability hasproved to be a real success and we arealready underway with development ofother Disney brands such as Monsters Inc,

Toy Story and Doc McStuffins, which areset to launch during 2015.”

Larger value products are becoming asignificant feature on coin pushers andoperators have seen the opportunity togain additional sales through trade-ups –displaying larger value items on the pusherdisplay shelves, which can be redeemedfor smaller prizes at the redemption centre.One example is the Despicable Me 2 key-chain range, which can be traded up forother Despicable Me 2 products such asplush, mugs and stationery items, whichare proving to be extremely popular.

F

HARRY LEVYWHITEHOUSE LEISURE

Surf’s upfor summerpushersHarry Levy’s latest coinpusher features a theme that’sperfect for the hot summermonths, complete withthemed artwork and ananimated top sign.

New products capturethe moment

With the season now fast approaching,the latest delivery of new Clockwork

Oranges Round Ticket has arrived at JNCand with only six not yet spoken for this isthe last chance to snap one up. ClockworkOranges stands out from the crowd, not justin terms of how it looks, but also by howmuch it takes. The superb orange graphicsand distinctive attract sound means it can’tbe missed and acts as a great ‘draw card’ forany arcade.

With the new accumulating ticket fea-ture it significantly adds to the appeal ofthe pusher, as players are attracted by theopportunity of winning bundles of the tick-ets thanks to previous players. JNC has beenthe sole distributor of Clockwork Orangespushers for over a year and in the process

has developed a good relationshipwith Harry Levy. Clockwork Orangesattracts the whole range ofplayers, from young childto adult. The low coinentry, together with fast-feed makes it a very easypusher to play.

“With the operation of35 pushers within our sites,we are able to speak fromexperience when we see apusher that is head and shouldersabove the rest,” said finance director, JohnJennings. “This has been re-iterated bymany customers who have had ‘their besttakes ever’ out of a Clockwork Orangespusher.”

With many used pushers instock at any one time and yearsof workshop experience, JNChas a great deal to offer in this

area as well. The companyoffers a vast range of used push-

ers from High Wire Straight to oneplayer pushers, mean-ing that they ready andable to cater for theneeds of all operationsand arcades.

“Here at JNC we arehappy to put together

a deal that is right for thecustomer,” said Jennings.

“Whether it involvestaking a part exchange or

extended payment terms, this is generallynot an issue. With the JNC Open Days on10th and 11th July, why not pop-in and meetthe team, see the Clockwork Oranges in allits glory, and maybe pick up a bargain.”

JNC SALES

Clockwork oranges pushes the boundaries for JNC

JNC is running low on stock of its latest and greatest pusher,which is already generating great takings at venues around thecountry.

Capitalising on an increaseddemand for pushers withprizes, WhitehouseLeisure has commissioned arange of new toys based onwell known brands.

2375-p12-22-Essential_Coinslot NEW 01/07/2014 14:44 Page 6

JNC SALES IN ASSOCIATION WITH HARRY LEVY PRESENT THE BRILLIANTLY PERFORMING...

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Coinslot JULY 4 - JULY 10, 2014

22

B2B

Essential Guide to ... Coin Pushers

Products

n arcades around the country, bothpushers and redemption machinesare out performing the games that

sit alongside them. In an effort to unifythese two star genres, Jingle Games hasdevised a cost-effective kit, which can beapplied to a number of popular pushersto convert them into ticket-vendingredemption machines. This allows opera-tors to bring their coin pushers in line withthe rest of their arcade, increasing the like-lihood that patrons will spend time on themachines.

“[Adding redemption to pushers] hasbeen a big boost to the operators that havedecided to invest in redemption,” saidJingle Games’ Mike Ansell. “Pushers havealways been the main cash earners in anarcade. Both pushers and redemption areusually at the front end of the arcade.”

Jingle Games offers a kit that featuresStrictly Rock n’ Roll imagery which can befitted to a range of existing games. The ElvisPresley and Marilyn Monroe pushers fromLordsvale can be upgraded, as can the

Harry Levy Magic 7 machine. With Jingle’skit applied, the machine still features acash payout, but also vends tickets at con-figurable intervals. This keeps the gameswithin the 5 percent tax bracket forMachine Games Duty.

“We launched it at the show in Londonthis year,” explained Ansell. “It’s been verysuccessful as a kit or a rebuild for thosethree machines. It enhances the incomeby making it into a cash and redemptionmachine, rather than just a cash onlymachine. It’s a very cost effective way of

changing your pushers to redemption.”With the kit applied, operators can con-

figure their new machines to dispensestickets at variable speeds and reward dif-ferent activities. “It’s percentage based, likea fruit machine, but it’s operator adjustabledepending on how generous they want tobe,” said Ansell. “You can’t really controlthe amount of coins that come over theedge. You can divert you coins the way thatyou want to create build up on your pusheror you can divert the coins into the cashbox, but you can’t really control what per-centage what comes off the edge.”

The Strictly Rock n’ Roll kits givespusher operators some payout control, bymonitoring how many tickets are dis-pensed over the course of a single play.“You can actually change the percentageof how generous you want to be by addingredemption into the game,” said Ansell.“You can give mercy tickets when a coinis inserted into the machines and you canprogram how many tickets you give outon a win.”

JINGLE GAMES

Pushers’ redemptionWith an increasing number of operators turning to redemption to boost profits, Jingle Games isoffering a cost effective way of bringing a site’s existing pushers into the fold.

Crown Direct and Deith Leisure pride themselves on deliveringonly the best products to their customers. In the pusher

market this is evidenced by the two machine offering for 2014,with the eight-player straight Sweet Falls and the six-playerround Merry Go Round machines. Both games are manufacturedexclusively for Crown and Deith by Harry Levy Amusements.

Sweet Falls was tested at the end of 2013 and launched at EAG2014. Using the successful formula of previous models, RainbowRiches and Rock N Reels, this pusher combines a redemptionticket feature delivered by three reels at every play position.

“Performance on Sweet Falls has been phenomenal”explained David Hurst, sales executive at Crown Direct, “evento the extent where we have had some customers buy a secondmachine for the same location and site them next to each other.In effect making a 16 position Sweet Falls. The income hasbeen fantastic and this pusher will without doubt be selling in2015 given its universal appeal and theming”.

EAG 2014 also saw Crown and Deith preview the new MerryGo Round pusher. Using the theme of a fairground carousel,this six position round pusher went to test in March of this year.Following feedback from some customers, modifications were

made and production started in May 2014. Hurst again com-mented: “Merry Go Round is the first six-player round pusherwe have put into the marketplace. Again combining the proventicket feature of our other pushers, the wider deck than theusual eight player round gives the operator more space to workwith in offering some higher value merchandise as prizes. Thishas really been a game we have worked at and the end result isfantastic with steady orders coming in all the time.”

CROWN DIRECT

All new multi-player pushersA pair of new pushers from Harry Levy are taking pride of place among Crown Direct and DeithLeisure’s 2014 amusement offering.

JNCSALES

Vast ranges of AWPs, SWPs,Drivers, Simulators, Sit-downs and

amusement equipment

“Let’s talk about it”

www.jnc-sales.co.uksales@jnc-sales.co.uk

Tel: 0117 9382552 Fax: 0117 9382218Aftersales Tel: 0117 9382225

B2B Amusements

gspencer@namco.co.uk

www.namco.co.uk

MARKETPLACE

CALL NOW01843 866464

Harry Levy Amusement Contractor LtdTel: +44 (0)1843 866464 | Fax: +44 (0)1843 860144

Email: sales@harry-levy-amusements.com | Web: www.harry-levy-amusement.com

TicketHouse Crane

We buy and sell all gaming equipment with over 400 units in stock - From Pool-tables

to Fruit machines we have it all.

For the best prices please call us today

Tel: 01795 844 169 Email: Stuart@starleisure.biz

FACELIFT KITINCLUDES

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Mike Ansell - 07980 679961Offi ce - 01430 470788

TICKET CONVERSION KITS FOR MAGIC 7 PUSHER

Mike Ansell - 07980 679961Offi ce - 01430 470788

I

2375-p12-22-Essential_Coinslot NEW 01/07/2014 15:49 Page 7

23

B2B

PUBS

MARKETPLACE

To advertise here callKathryn Norris

on 01204 396 397

B2B Gaming Machines

Amusement and Gaming Equipment Finance with Rates

from 3.1%

Immediate Funds Available 98% Acceptance Rate

Tel: 0844 800 88 25info@portmanassetfinance.co.ukwww.portmanassetfinance.co.uk

B2B FinanceB2B Arcade Crane Services

www.thewon.co.uk

B2B Bingo

sales@leisure-electronics.co.ukwww.leisure-electronics.co.uk

B2B Carpets & Flooring

B2B Cash Handling

info@antrimcarpets.com

www.antrimcarpets.com

COIN AND BANK NOTE EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE

360Cash is an independent maintenance service provider on a wide range of cash handling equipment. We have fully trained engineers located throughout the UK who can provide service on a call-out basis. Alternatively our central repairs centre can offer a ‘back to bench’ repair service on a range of manufacturer’s cash handling equipment.

PROCOIN SCAN COIN GLORY

CURRENCY TECH DE LA RUE MAGNER

Tel: 01270 211565Email: admin@360cash.co.uk www.360cash.co.uk

We also supply cash handling equipment

B2B Change Machines

Tel: 020 8391 7700 Fax: 020 8391 7760 Email: sales@suzohapp.co.uk www.suzohapp.co.uk

“Great range of Change Machines available”

Demolition work at Brighton’s WestPier site is being completed to beready for the construction of thei360 tower. The £46.2m attractionis set to open in summer 2016.

West Pier demolitioncomplete

Listings

Coinslot JULY 4 - JULY 10, 2014

unch Taverns, one of the UK’slargest leased pub companies,said like-for-like net income from

its estate was up 1.4 per cent in the thirdquarter to June 2014. The group, whichhas a portfolio of over 4,000 pubs acrossthe UK, said it was on track to meet fullyear profit expectations.

The group, which runs community,high street and so-called ‘destination’pubs, is understood to be on the brink ofa £2.3bn restructuring deal after itreached an agreement with its biggestgroup of bondholders.

A deal has been reached betweenPunch and a special committee set up bythe Association of British Insurers, mean-ing that the group has nearly enough sup-port to go ahead with a restructuring.

Stephen Billingham, executive chair-

man of Punch Taverns, said: “We con-tinue to make progress toward a con-sensual restructuring. These proposalshave a high level of support, whichreflects the hard work of a large numberof stakeholders.

“There are still hurdles to be over-come before reaching complete agree-ment but we view the current situationas very positive and that a successfulrestructuring can be implemented. Con-tinued constructive dialogue and deter-mination from all involved will berequired to achieve this.”

Under the group’s proposal, therestructuring will be launched by August11. Punch said that it expects to generateabout £100m in net proceeds from thesale of pubs over the year and a reductionin total net debt of £600m.

Punch moves closerto restructuring dealAfter reporting a small increase in third-quarter income, PunchTaverns moves ever closer to securing a £2.3bn restructuring deal.

P

Following Wolver-hampton Race-course’s decision inApril to cancel itsplans to become thefirst ‘racino’ in theUK, rival operator Casino 36 is hopingto secure the ‘small’ gaming licenceavailable in the city and open a venuefeaturing up to 80 slot machines.

Casino 36 looks forlicence

2375-p23-25-Listings_Coinslot NEW 01/07/2014 15:41 Page 1

Coinslot JULY 4 - JULY 10, 2014

Listings MARKETPLACE

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24

B2B

ENTERTAINMENTLOLA’S OPENS ATHIPPODROME

The Hippodrome Casino in LeicesterSquare, London, has launched a new

Las Vegas-style gaming and entertain-ment experience.

Lola’s Underground Casino is pur-portedly the first venue in the UK to offerentertainment and gambling side byside.

“Since we opened two years agothere has been an incremental rise in thenumber of visitors of 32,000 a week,demonstrating the potential demandthere is for the new style of UK casinowe offer here in London,” said Hippo-drome owner, Simon Thomas.

“To accommodate future growth wewanted to be well prepared and open acasino that echoes what Vegas doesbrilliantly - putting the entertainment onthe same floor as the gambling, muchcloser to the tables.”

CAPSULEVENDING

LOW PRICED VENDINGFROM NOVELTYWORLD

Novelty World has launched a newpromotion, with capsule vending

machines for toys, sweets and inflata-bles available for £395 and including afree first-time fill.

The company’s toycapsule mix is avail-ablefor£30for100,ChupaChups toy andlolly is £34 per100 and inflatabletoy capsules areavailable for £32 per100.

LICENSEDGAMES

GET READY FOR THEWIN FALL

Deal or No DealWin Fall is the

latest in the suc-cessful DOND fran-chise fromBell-Fruit Games. Available in the UKthrough RLMSSales, the CategoryC/D productincludes a videoportrayal of a‘Bagatelle’ feature,whereby playerswatch a ball fall downthe screen bouncingoff pins into the aper-tures beneath.

The game plays onone, five or 10 winlines depending onthe stake. At themaximum stake, thefourth reel is active,giving access to enhanced features.

SALESA SEASIDESPECTACLE FOR JNC

JNC Sales is hoping that a dizzyingarray of seaside-specific deals will

place it front and centre as the summerseason enters full swing. It’s range of Sea-side Spectacular deals feature a widearray of Air Hockey tables, including theWik Gold and Kiddie Hot products.

The NBA Hoops basketball game andDawpol Boxers strength tester compli-ment a range of exciting redemptionmachines also on offer, with a Bench-

mark Ticket station also provided toensure that amusement arcades runsmoothly.

Coin Pushers make up the largestportion of the Seaside Spectacular, with anumber of multiplayer machines availablefor purchase, including the popular StrictlyRock n Roll machine from Harry Levy.

2375-p23-25-Listings_Coinslot NEW 01/07/2014 16:08 Page 2

25

B2B

MARKETPLACE

B2B Spares

www.cromptons-spares.co.uk

For Spares, Refurbishments,Repairs and Special Offers

call Matt or Terri on 01843 593335

For FREE technical support callSteve or Hugh on: 01843 593353Email: spares@cromptons.com

Fax: 01843 588043

*The only Offi cialCromptonsMachines

Spares supplier*

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sega.prize@sega.co.uk

www.zoltaruk.com

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Distributor of snooker and pool accessories and manufacturers of genuine Superleague tables and spares.

07442 491384eric_lewis_mbs@btconnect.com

B2B Skill Ball Deluxe

sales@samleisure.co.ukwww.samleisure.co.uk

sales@samleisure.co.ukwww.samleisure.co.uk

THE HIGHEST EARNING POOL,AIR HOCKEY AND FOOTBALL TABLES

T 024 7646 1234F 024 7646 4433

To subscribe please callSarah Haworth

on 01204 396 397

Coinslot JULY 4 - JULY 10, 2014

8TO COMMENT ON ANY ARTICLE

Email: al@sjc.co.uk

CATEGORY CSALES GALORE FROMDATA LEISURE

Data Leisure’s deep selection of slotmachines has long been a reliable

source of cost-effective games for opera-tors around the country. Thecompany’s mostrecent selection ofoffers maintainsthat tradition byincluding an afford-able range of £100Cat C machinesfrom ReflexGaming - amongthem the Best ofBritish and HotShot titles. BellFruit Games alsofeatures strongly, with Data Leisure sellingits Family Guy Drunken Clam and DONDTurbo machines. Orders on any of thesegames can made from anywhere in the UKand Ireland, with company promising todeliver to the furthest reaches of the twocountries.

SIGNAGEASTRA ILLUMINATESSIGNAGE POTENTIAL

In addition to building some of the mostpopular gaming machines on the

market, Astra Games has a range of highvisibility signage to compliment a casino orAGC. It’s range of signage solutions hasbeen gathered into the illumiSign rangeand is headlined by an all new version ofthe illuminator sign. This product comes ineither a compact or overhead display unit,designed to support bespoke artwork orhigh definitely 27 or 32 inch displays.

Astra also offers the illumiNeon and illu-miVegas signage, both of which can beused to share the news of growing jack-pots or special promotions to customersthroughout a venue.

CASH HANDLING360 DEGREE CASHHANDLING SERVICE

360 Cash, the independent cash han-dling service provider, has stepped up

its marketing activity ahead of thesummer season. The Crewe-based com-pany, which has been providing service tocash related sectors since 2005, is cur-rently promoting its repair centre skills.With its aim to ‘give control back to theowner’, 360 Cash has focused its effortson, particularly in the coin-op sector, onensuring customers retain a reliable flowof cash to keep their players playing.

360 Cash service a wide array of cur-rency handling equipment and have fullytrained engineers on call across thecountry. The company also operators a

central repair centre, which promises aquick turnaround on faulty equipment.

CHILDREN’S PLAYCOMPANIES JOINPLAYFAIR FOLD

PlaySmart UK and Ustigate Water-play have joined the growing list of

Association of Play Industries (API)member companies exhibiting at PlayFair2014.

PlayFair is the UK’s largest annualtrade event for children’s play equipmentand safety surfacing.

It showcases new developments inplay area design, equipment and safetysurfacing, and takes place at Royal Wind-sor Racecourse from September 2-4,2014.

2375-p23-25-Listings_Coinslot NEW 01/07/2014 16:09 Page 3

AnalysisSponsored by

NOVOMATIC LEADS, OTHERS FOLLOW

CATEGORYB3 (£2/£500 Max.)

CATEGORYD (10p/£5 Max.)

CATEGORYB4 (£2/£4000 Max)

AGCsThis LastWeek Week Name / Manufacturer

1 1 Slotto 500 Astra2 2 Magic Lotto Ultra Novomatics3 3 King of Slots Blueprint4 4 Triple 8 Barcrest5 5 Triple 7 Barcrest6 6 Casino King TS22 Project7 7 Lady Luck Reflex8 8 Mega Bars Big Hit Project9 9 Big Party Astra10 10 Rainbow Riches Community Cash Barcrest

Based on data supplied by a representative number of UK sitesSupplied by RLMS Sales

Members clubsThis LastWeek Week Name / Manufacturer

1 1 Alice Queen of Hearts Reflex2 2 Flamin’ 400 Reflex3 3 Jackpot 400 Barcrest4 4 Cops Judgement Pay BFG5 5 Street Casino Storm

Based on data from representative sites. Supplied by sector professional

FEC - familyThis LastWeek Week Name / Manufacturer

1 1 Bullion Bars (3 Player) Astra2 2 Party Time Classic ( 3 Player) Astra3 7 Party Games (4 Player) Astra4 4 Golden Games (3 Player) Mazooma5 5 Adders And Ladders(4 Player) Vivid6 6 Rainbow Riches (3 Player) Empire7 3 DOND (3 Player) Bellfruit8 8 Party Time Arena (4 Player) Astra9 9 Party Time (3 Player) Astra10 10 Goldrush Stampede (4 Player) Mazooma

Based on data from four sites Amusement Equipment Co Ltd

FEC - adultThis LastWeek Week Name / Manufacturer

1 1 Magic Games U/R Novomatic2 10 Rainbow Riches Party Barcrest3 3 Magic Games S/D Novomatic4 4 Pure Gold Project5 5 Super Big 7 S/D Electrocoin6 6 Party Time Arena (4 Player) Astra7 - Win Wall Celebrity Astra8 - Bar X Diamonds 7 Electrocoin9 7 Win Wall Celebrity Astra10 - Find The Lady 70 Barcrest

Taken from a representative number of sites around the UKSupplied by Amusement Equipment Co Ltd

CATEGORYC (£1/£100 Max.)

AGCsThis LastWeek Week Name / Manufacturer

1 5 Encore T7 (GP1) SG Gaming2 1 Encore T7 (GP2) SG Gaming3 3 Magic Games 100 Ultra Novomatic4 4 Magic Games 3 Novomatic5 9 Triple 7 (GP3) SG Gaming6 7 Triple 7 (GP2) SG Gaming7 6 X3000 Multigame Amatic8 - Bullion Bars Arena Astra9 - Party Time Platinum Astra10 - Find the Lady 2 card Project

Based on data from a minimum of 10 locations. Supplied by Praesepe

FILMCHARTS

OLIVER HELDENS &BECKY HILL: GECKO(OVERDRIVE)

UK Box Office ChartThis LastWeek Week Name

1 - The Fault in Our Stars2 1 22 Jump Street3 2 Maleficent4 3 X-Men: Days of Future Past5 4 Edge of Tomorrow6 - Jersey Boys7 - 3 Days to Kill8 6 Belle 9 5 Oculus 10 - Humshakals

THE FAULT IN OURSTARS

ED SHEERAN: X

MUSICCHARTS

UK Jukebox ChartHighest Earning Tracks on Sound Leisure jukeboxesThis LastWeek Week

1 1 Waves (Robin Schulz Remix) Mr Probz2 4 Ghost Ella Henderson3 2 Hideaway Kiesza4 5 Sing Ed Sheeran5 3 Summer Calvin Harris6 6 Stay With Me Sam Smith7 7 All Of Me John Legend8 8 Happy Pharrell Williams9 9 Nobody To Love Sigma10 10 Wiggle Jason Derulo feat. Snoop Dogg

Based on data supplied by Soundnet

http://www.soundnet.net/

www.soundnet.net

AlbumsThis Last

Week Week

1 - X Ed Sheeran2 3 In The Lonely Hour Sam Smith3 1 Ultraviolence Lana Del Rey4 4 Ghost Stories Coldplay5 7 Caustic Love Paolo Nuitini6 5 48:13 Kasabian7 6 Blue Smoke - The Best Of Dolly Parton8 2 The Hunting Party Linkin Park9 8 A Perfect Contradiction Paloma Faith10 - Once More ‘Round The Sun Mastodon

DownloadsThis Last

Week Week

1 - Gecko (Overdrive) Oliver Heldens & Becky Hill 2 1 Ghost Elle Henderson 3 3 Sing Ed Sheeran 4 - One More Day (Stay With Me) Example5 4 Budapest George Ezra6 5 Stay With Me Sam Smith7 7 Wiggle Jason Derulo ft Snoop Dogg8 9 All Of Me John Legend 9 10 Waves Mr Probz 10 - Good Kisser Usher

Single siteThis LastWeek Week Name / Manufacturer

1 1 DOND Winfall BFG2 2 Best of British REF3 3 DOND Lucky Streak BFG4 4 DOND Powerplay BFG5 5 DOND The Big One BFG6 7 Worminator QPS7 9 Bank Job - Rob the lot QPS8 8 DOND Time to Play BFG9 6 DOND Pure Gold BFG10 - Mega Rich BFG

Taken from a representative number of sites around the UKSupplied by national operator

Coinslot JULY 4 - JULY 10, 2014

26

B2B

2375-p26-Analysis_Coinslot NEW 01/07/2014 15:15 Page 1

27

B2B

Coinslot JULY 4 - JULY 10, 2014

Business Opportunities Wanted

Classifi edTo advertise: Contact Kathryn Norris on 01204 396 397

Crown Direct 27Novelty World 27JNC Sales 29Data Leisure 29

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New & Used Machine Prices

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T8 VEGAS PARTY £7,995PERFORMER 22 £7,995KING OF SLOTS VISION £6,995MEGA 7/ D&J / MEGA BARS £4,495SLOTTO 500 £3,995JACKPOT KING £995

Cat B3 £2 Stake WIZARD OF OZ 2 PLY £12,995FUN HOUSE £7,995HARPOON LAGOON £7,995MONOPOLY £7,495DOWN THE CLOWN £6,995GOAL LINE RUSH £6,495MILK JUG TOSS £5,995DEAL OR NO DEAL £3,495

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THIS WEEKS STAR BUY

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Best of British To subscribe, email:shaworth@gbmedia.eu

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01204 396 397

Register online to receive special offers and monthly promotionsTo place an order, call, e-mail or log on - Tel: +44 (0)1704 323 323

www.noveltyworld.co.uk sales@noveltyworld.co.uk

Register online to receive special offers and monthly promotionsTo place an order, call, e-mail or log on - Tel: +44 (0)1704 323 323

www.noveltyworld.co.uk sales@noveltyworld.co.uk

28

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Coinslot JULY 4 - JULY 10, 2014

CRANES & PRIZESIssue 2376 - 11th July

ATM/CHANGE MACHINESIssue 2377 - 18th July

CAT B3Issue 2378 - 25th July

POOL TABLES, CLOTHS & ACCESSORIES

Issue 2379 - 1st August

AFTER SALES/SERVICEIssue 2380 - 8th August

UPCOMING FEATURES

More than just a leading

publisher

GB Media Marketing Services provides a complete communications service. With a management team boasting decades of international industry experience, GB Media is the only company of its type in the gambling space, employing teams of designers, marketers, journalists and business development executives.

For more information please call John Sullivan +44 (0) 1204 396 397 or email jsullivan@gbmedia.eu

gbmedia.eu

Consulting

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8 American pool tables 10’ x 5’

(4 DISMANTLED AND STORED)

29

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Coinslot JULY 4 - JULY 10, 2014

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30 Coinslot July 4 - July 10, 2014

Comment

The UK’s piers have had a rougwhile a bingo worker celebrateing casinos according to the lates

“

media watchalex lee

Piers remain resolute under pr

commentalex lee

aving seen thelatest GamblingCommission facts

and figures, published inthe body’s most recentIndustry Statistics docu-ment, some of which arehighlighted on thisweek’s front page, I firmlybelieve that the UK coin-op industry has turned acorner. Admittedly, itwould be impossible toput a positive spin on allthe figures published,which identify certainareas of the sector thathave further contracted.There are definitelyplenty of reasons to beupbeat about theprospects for amuse-ments and soft gambling,however, many of whichare supplementary towhat is down in black andwhite in the above men-tioned tome.

The double dip reces-sion is over, for example,and analysts are reportingcases of ‘increased con-sumer confidence’ on thehigh street. Meanwhile,on the coast, millions ofpounds continue to bepumped into regenera-tion of seaside resorts upand the staycation trenddoesn’t look like tailingoff any time soon. Else-where, the bingo sector isalready showing anumber of signs of recov-ery in the wake of the dutycut from 20 per cent to 10

per cent in the Budget.Every trade show whichhas been hosted thus farthis year has shown goodattendance and buyinglevels and of course a newone looms this autumn.

Whether England’signominious, but notaltogether unpre-dictable, departure fromthe World Cup will haveany effect on cashboxreturns, particularly inpubs, won’t be known fora short while, but overallthings are lookingslightly brighter for coin-op as a whole. Everyonehas long since mannedup and admitted thingswill never be the samesince the halcyon days ofa quarter of a century agoor more and there seemsto be a greater willing-ness to share informationand ideas, as evidencedby the recent ParkAvenue Open Day.

While the long-termfuture of UK coin-op istough to predict withapps, consoles and themuch-reported unevenB2 playing field combin-ing to keep the pressureon, those still active in theindustry look like they’restanding on firmerground than when theGambling Act and theSmoke Ban first com-bined to give us all a ratherunpleasant one-twoacross the chops.

Coin-op’sslow roadto recovery

The Independent’s Christo-pher Beanland has taken a

nostalgic look at UK piers asRyde’s pier celebrates its 200thanniversary.

If piers were about the Vic-torians demonstrating thatthey could conquer the ele-ments, the end result neverlooked quite as thrusting anddominant as it was supposedto. The gaps between theboards, the skimpy ironwork,the knowledge that so manypiers have burnt down, allcombine to give a sense ofimpermanence. Which makesit all the more remarkable thatthe British seaside pier cele-brates its 200th birthday thissummer, and that 58 of themremain standing in Britain.

The first pier opened atRyde on the Isle of Wight inJuly 1814. Throughout the1800s, dozens more followed.Southend’s first pier shot up in1830 - and the current much-extended incarnation is the

longest in the world.Piers are part of the iconog-

raphy of the British seaside hol-iday. In L’Angleterre de MartinAmis, a documentary made forFrench broadcaster Arte andshown earlier this year onBBC4, Amis meditated on theway the English grimly endureholidays at home. He reckonedwe practise Schadenfreude onourselves, that we derive aweird joy from the rain and thecold; from the seaside sufferingand the pier-based boredom.Piers are often called “pleasurepiers”, but the pleasuresderived from them, especiallyout of season, can be dubious:arcades, funfairs, ribald post-cards and candyfloss.

I remember spilling myorange juice on the way toBlackpool’s Central Pier, andbeing amazed by the lifeboatstation and its precipitousrollercoaster ramp at the end ofCromer Pier.

Penarth Pier re-opened in

December following a £4.2mrestoration; Southwold Pier hasa new owner (and will flaunt aboutique hotel if its plans cometo fruition). The most encourag-ing pier restoration of all is justalong the coast from East-bourne at Hastings. When itopens next year, Hastings Piermight become the main reasonpeople go to visit the town. Itwon’t be a pier trapped in a timewarp - it’ll provide real, tangi-ble, modern pleasures.

In a way, Brighton’s PalacePier provides those pleasures,too. Brighton bursts with vital-ity; it’s the least depressing ofBritain’s south-coast seasidetowns. The Palace Pier is areminder of how exciting theconcept of a pier must haveseemed to our sheltered for-bears who didn’t go to summerfestivals in Croatia or enjoy gapyears in South-east Asia.

Of course, Brighton is alsohome to the saddest pierwreck. Lorded over by the

Coin-op continuesits comeback

H

2375-p30-31-Comment_Coinslot NEW 01/07/2014 12:32 Page 1

31Coinslot July 4 - July 10, 2014

ve had a rough ride in recent years, but the survivors are leading a renaissance,ker celebrates 40 years in the sector and Japan edges further towards legalis-g to the latest industry-related headlines.

The FSB has uncovered agrowing skills gap in abusiness environment wheresmall firms’ confidence hashit an all-time high.“politicsjohn allan

quote unquote

er pressure

TO COMMENT ON ANY ARTICLE

Email: al@sjc.co.uk8

uncompromising brutalist bulkof the Holiday Inn, the skeletonof the much older West Pier isintensely morbid, especiallyduring a Brighton springsunset. The whole scene here isset to get much, much strangerin summer 2016, becauseBrighton has plans to build a600ft-high viewing tower at theexact point that the West Pierused to lurch out into the sea.

Further afield, Japan’s rulingparty will seek to pass a law tolegalize casinos in the nextsession of parliament inautumn, Prime Minister ShinzoAbe told Bloomberg in aninterview.

Japan’s Diet began debateof the bill last week, afterweeks of delays, not leavingenough time to pass beforethe end of the most recentsession of parliament on June22. The delays have left ques-tion marks over the timetablefor legalizing casinos in amarket that may be worth as

much as $40bn a year, accord-ing to estimates from CLSA.

The world’s biggest casinooperators have been lining upto bid for licenses, with bothMGM Resorts and Las VegasSands saying they may be pre-pared to invest as much as $10billion to build a resort in thecountry.

And finally, Paul Harrison, the63-year-old general manager atMecca Bingo in St Helens haslived and breathed bingo for thepast 40 years, according to theSt Helens Star.

He has worked throughoutthe country, from Bournemouthto Blackpool, and even steppedinto the caller’s role to keep 200players happy during a four dayQE2 voyage to New York.

He was Mecca’s manager ofthe year in 1996, opened twoclubs in Blackpool and chaper-oned Mecca customers inBermuda. Mecca area managerMike Sime acknowledgedPaul’s long term commitment:“It’s amazing for anyone towork at the same company for40 years. To be able to havesomeone with his wealth ofknowledge and experience aspart of the team is fantastic.”

Manchester born Paul has noplans to retire just yet. “It’s dif-ferent every day, whether you’reworking with staff or cus-tomers. I love the personableand social side of the busi-ness,” said the father-of-four.“As long as you enjoy it, youstay in it.”

“I have a journalist’s healthy dislike of PR people. Anyone outside thepublishing industry might think that a journalist and a PR person do prettymuch the same thing, at least in the trade press - promoting products. Infact there is often an insurmountable gulf of mistrust between the two.”

DAVID SNOOK, INTERGAME

The latest Federation of SmallBusinesses’ Small Business

Index shows a growing skillsshortage in the workplace. Nowidentified as a significant barrierto growth for small firms, almostone third (29.9 per cent) of thosesurveyed report skills shortagesas hampering growth, with con-struction and computer servicesparticularly hard hit.

To address this increasinglysignificant issue facing the UKlabour market, the FSB wants tosee a number of steps taken:

The business and educationcommunity must work moreclosely together to ensure youngpeople are ‘work ready’ andunderstand the demands of theworld of work. Employabilityskills must be embedded from anearly age; the labour market haschanged dramatically in recentyears and businesses are adapt-ing to that change but the educa-tion system needs to catch up.

Reforms must be completedto create a business-led, highquality apprenticeship systemthat provides a real choicebetween vocational and aca-demic routes. This should be forthe long term, and aspire tomatch standards of our leadingcompetitors such as Germany.

Traineeships must be used asa credible alternative to a formalapprenticeship. Initiatives suchas the TechBac, 14-19 collegeprogrammes and the rejuvena-tion of University Technical Col-leges serve to demonstrate thata vocational education is nolonger considered the secondtier of the UK education system.

Despite the challengesaround skills, the survey ofalmost 2,500 businesses showsconfidence at a record high withyear-on-year gains seen acrossthe whole of the UK, led again

by London and the South East.Confidence remains weaker inother parts of the UK such as theNorth West. Professional serv-ices and technology continue todisplay the strongest optimism,with significantly good newsaround the manufacturingsector.

The report shows investmentintentions remain strong. FSBbelieves business investmenthelps to boost productivity,which in turn feeds through intohigher wages and living stan-dards.

Key findings show:• The Small Business Index

rose to 39.7, breaking the previ-ous score of 35.7 in Q1 2014

• Nearly three in 10 smallcompanies (29.9 per cent)report skills shortages as a bar-rier to growth, up from 25.4 percent in Q1 2014

• Investment intentionsremain strong. This quarter a netbalance of more than one in fourfirms (25.6 per cent) expects toincrease capital investment overthe next 12 months

As the labour market contin-ues to tighten alongside the eco-nomic recovery, skills shortageswill continue to be an increas-ing concern for more busi-nesses. While this helps to boostthe wage bargaining power ofworkers with the right skills, itposes a risk to the momentum ofeconomic growth and onceagain underlines a long standingstructural weakness in the UKeconomy.

Despite the emergence of askills shortage, these resultsshow small firms are still feelingvery confident, with every inten-tion to invest and grow. This willprovide further momentum tothe recovery, especially in termsof jobs growth.

FSB looks to bridgethe skills gap“As a video games designer and father of three I have an inherent interest in the

perceived effects that playing video games can have on my kids. Public interest,and therefore much of the research done in this area, tends to focus on theeffects of playing violent video games; on whether one can spend too muchtime on screens or the idea that playing certain types of games can improvemotor skills and brain function. My interest, however, has been in how the videogames they love to play are being translated into both their physical play and theway in which they communicate.”

PETE LOW, HUFFINGTON POST

“One of the Southport Arts Festival’s key Chapel Street events will be on theweekend of August 23 and 24, when leading cartoonists from publications, suchas Punch and Private Eye, will be drawing cartoons on large boards right in thecentre of the street. This event will also include musicians and an extraordinary‘live’ Punch & Judy show. This whole cartoon event will have a seaside theme tofit in with Southport’s resort status.”

GEORGINA STUBBS, SOUTHPORT VISITER

“Video game developers hyped upcoming titles featuring super-soldiers,assassins, bank robbers and secret agents at last week’s Electronic Entertain-ment Expo. They all had one thing in common: They’re men. The continued lackof female protagonists in games shown off at E3 highlighted an issue that con-tinues to loom over the video game industry.”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS”

2375-p30-31-Comment_Coinslot NEW 01/07/2014 12:32 Page 2

32 Coinslot July 4 - July 10, 2014

CHINA VENDING DISCOUNT FOR EVA MEMBERS

he 11th China Vend-ing Show (CVS) willbe held at the

Shanghai World Expo Exhi-bition and Convention Cen-tre on September 25-27.Since its inauguration in2004, CVS has become thelargest international exhibi-tion for the vending andOCS industries in China andAsia. Last year’s editionattracted over 7,400 buyersand professional visitorsover three days. This year,there will be an increase in

exhibition floor area toapproximately 12,000sq.mand the organisers are hop-ing for up to 12,000 peopleto attend. As part of theshow, a range of seminarsand educational sessionswill be organised.

PAYMENT PERSPECTIVES

n November 12, theCard Payments andPurchase2Pay Solu-

tions Conference will takeplace at the Manchester ArtGallery.

Pegged as a key “informa-tion exchange”, the confer-ence will focus on end users,stake holders and transac-tion management providersfrom across several sectorswho will share their collec-tive experiences of imple-

menting and successfullymanaging a variety of cardpayment solutions, elec-tronic payment and acquir-ing programmes with viewstowards future develop-ments within the paymentsindustry.

Calendar

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Email: jw@sjc.co.uk8

JULY 20148-10World Gaming Executive

Summit W Hotel, Barcelona, Spain

www.terrapinn.com/InterGES2

AUGUST 201412-14Australasian Gaming

Expo Sydney Exhibition Centre, Syd-

ney, Australia www.austgaming-

expo.com

SEPTEMBER 20142-4Entertainment Arena Expo,

Romexpo Fair Ground, Bucharest,

Romania www.earena.ro

2-4Playfair at SALTEX 2014 Royal

Windsor Racecourse, Windsor, UK

www.playfairuk.com

23-25Euro Attractions Show,

RAI Exhibition Centre, Amsterdam,

Netherlands www.iaapa.org/eas

30-2 LIW 2014 NEC, Birmingham,

UK www.liw.co.uk

OCTOBER7-9Brand Licensing Europe

Olympia, London, UK www.brandli-

censing.eu

30-2G2E 2014 Sands Expo & Con-

vention Centre, Las Vegas, US

www.globalgamingexpo.com

EDITORIALEditor: Alex LeeEmail: al@sjc.co.uk Tel: 07772 280 299Assistant Editor:James Walker Email: jw@sjc.co.ukTel: 07816678021Managing Editor:Ken Scott Email: ks@sjc.co.ukTel: 01273 699 900ADVERTISING SALESKathryn NorrisEmail: knorris@gbmedia.euTel: 01204 396 397Fax: 01204 392 748SUBSCRIPTIONSSarah HaworthTel: 01204 396 397DIGITAL VERSIONMarc LawtonEmail: mlawton@gbmedia.euTel: 01204 396 397PRODUCTIONDesigner: Gina LloydEmail: gl@sjc.co.ukAd Production &Pre-Press:Dave RoderickEmail: gdk@sjc.co.ukPUBLISHERDirector: John SullivanGB Media Corporation Ltd,Bolton Technology Exchange,33 Queensbrook,Bolton, BL1 4AY Tel: 01204 396 397Fax: 01204 392 748

Email: jsullivan@gbmedia.euMARKETINGMarketing Executive:Emilie BeauTel: 01204 396 397OFFICESEditorial and Production:3rd Floor, 20 New Road,Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1UF (UK)Tel: 01273 699 900Advertising andSubscriptions:Coinslot International, Bolton Technology Exchange,33 Queensbrook,Bolton BL1 4AY Tel: 01204 396 397Fax: 01204 392 748

Opinions expressed in this publication shouldnot be regarded as the official view of GBMedia Corporation Ltd, except where stated.Views, opinions and recommendationscontained in this publication are put forwardfor consideration only. No action should betaken in reliance upon any such views,opinions or recommendations. Neither GBMedia Corporation Ltd nor contributorsaccept any responsibility for any lossoccasioned to any person howsoevercaused or arising as a result of or inconsequence of action taken or refrainedfrom in realiance on the contents of thispublication.

Notes for contributors: Coinslotwelcomes the submission of articles forconsideration by the editor with a view topublication. Submission of an article wil lbe held to imply that the article containsoriginal unpublished work which GB MediaCorporation Ltd may lawfully publish. Allsubmissions are made at the owner’s risk.© GB Media Corporation Ltd, 2013All rights strictly reserved. No part of thispublication may be reproduced, stored ina retrieval system, or transmitted in anyform or by any means without the priorwritten permission given, full acknowl-edgement of author, publisher and sourcemust be given.

Euro Attractions to pull in continental exhibitors

T

NewsweekThe Euro Attractions

Show is scheduled to takeplace from 23-25 Septem-

ber, 2014 in Amsterdam. Billingitself as the premier ever for theattractions industry, the showwill feature representatives fromcasinos, amusement parks andfamily entertainment centres.More than 8,500 members of theindustry are expected to attend,making this among the biggestevents in Europe targeted exclu-sively at the attractions industry.

An Education Conference isscheduled to run alongside theexpo, with a high-profile keynote

speaker having recently beenannounced. Organisers have con-

firmed that Steve Van den Kerk-hof, CEO of the Plopsa Group and

Studio 100 chairman of the board,will be the keynote speaker at theEAS 2014 Leadership Breakfast.Plospa operate a number oftheme parks and indoor familyentertainment centres in Bel-gium, Germany and the Nether-lands. Other conferencespeakers will include staff fromDisneyland Paris, while eventslaid on include an FEC Day -designed to encourage network-ing between FEC operatorsaround Europe.

The Euro Attractions Show willtake place at the Amsterdam RAIexhibition centre.

P

O

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