The leading PlayCard System created by Sacoa, the largest FEC operator in Argentina, has always been a pioneer in the development of state-of-the-art technology to optimize the operation of Arcades, Family Entertainment Centers and Amusement Parks and has continuously taken debit card systems to new levels of performance, usefulness and sophistication.

The revolutionary PlayCard Wireless System launched in 2006 has been embraced by the industry for some time now and today it has become an every-day thing. Every customer using Sacoa for a project is installing the PlayCard Wireless System, because it offers inexpensive and fast installation since it is a simple and elegant solution that needs no wires run to or from the games or turnstiles (the information is transferred between the server and the controllers within the games through the Sacoa Access Points distributed through out the store)

Other innovations launched by Sacoa during the past years and now fully functional and adopted world-wide include the Sacoa POS (a full-blown POS terminal, with an extensible, user-definable and friendly touch-screen interface, capable not only of selling and recharging cards, but retail merchandise as well, while it allows payment in PlayCard credit, cash or regular credit cards) as well as the development of a set of tools for an easy plug-in Integration with other F&B POS Systems (the versatile plug-in enhanceable Sacoa PosServer allows customers to keep their in-house POS system and have it manage the operation of the Sacoa PlayCard System transparently, being able to cope with various custom requirements such as enabling payment by posting a transaction to a hotel guest account via their room key, automated downstream data injection to corporate data warehouses and accounting systems, etc.).

The Police Service Bureau in Panyu, China recently seized counterfeit Megatouch video game units in duel raids conducted against Chengtai Metal Hardware and Electronics in Panyu, Guangzhou. The raids took place at Chengtai’s factory in Panyu’s Dongsheng Industrial Zone and at its administrative office located in Longmeixin Village.  Chengtai owner Yan Xiancheng was detained by police.

In addition to the two complete Megatouch units, ten suspected copies of complete Sega products and five suspected Namco copies were rounded up.

“This raid is a major breakthrough for Merit’s anti-piracy program,” stated Robert C. Fay, Merit’s Director of Government Relations.  Due to the value of the seized counterfeit games, criminal charges will be filed. “This is the first criminal case in China involving an infringer of coin-op amusement games,” added Fay.

The law enforcement team included nine Panyu police officers and was assisted by investigators along with attorneys from the law firm of Baker & McKenzie. “After meeting with the Panyu Police in February I was impressed with their professionalism and Merit Entertainment greatly appreciates their cooperation,” added Fay.

The Exhibition was held at the Green Isle Hotel, Dublin on Tuesday 4 &
Wednesday 5 March 2008.  The show had a definite upbeat atmosphere,
contributed to by a further increase in both exhibitor and visitor
numbers. Once again this year's event had a very busy first day and busier
than usual second day with many visitors returning on the Wednesday
and a far greater number of pre-registered visitors showing up than
in previous years.

There was a broadening of the visitor base to include Casinos and
Betting Shops in addition to the traditional Gaming and Amusement
operators.  There was also a noticeable increase in the number of
visitors from locations such as Bowling and Play Centres.
International visitors this year included trade members from Britain,
USA, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany,
Austria, Spain, Latvia, Russia, Hungary, Slovenia, Czech Republic and
Poland.

New exhibitors included British companies, anxious to conduct
business abroad while the industry at home currently offers them very
few opportunities, and companies offering equipment for the
developing casino and betting markets in Ireland.
The number of exhibitors and visitors were both up by more than 10
percent and new exhibitors resulted in a greater variety of products
being offered.  In addition to exhibitor-to-visitor sales, AmEx also
continued its role of fostering exhibitor-to-exhibitor sales and
visitor-to-visitor sales.
Most exhibitors were more than happy with the amount of business
conducted - some were actually overcome by the level of business
transacted and the potential for additional orders in the coming
months for a wide variety of products.

The Casino Committee presented its report to the Minister For Justice
and is awaiting his instructions to prepare legislation for Ireland's
growing casino sector. It now seems likely that the same committee
may also examine arcade gaming and other aspects of the gaming and
betting business.
However, those involved in the trade could be forgiven for not
attaching too much importance to promises of legislation.  In recent
years the industry has not only survived but prospered without
amending legislation and looks like continuing to do so in the short
to medium term.

There was a wide variety of gaming equipment shown - some aimed at
the Southern market and some at the very different Northern market.
Amusement, novelty and redemption games continue to play an important
role in the growing Irish coin-op market and were included in the
range of equipment presented.
In addition to the exhibition there was a programme of meetings,
business presentations and social gatherings, continuing the show's
reputation for bringing together Irish and international
manufacturers, distributors and operators in a businesslike
atmosphere.

Visitors from all over Ireland and further afield converged on Dublin
for the two most important days in the Irish Gaming & Amusement Trade
Calendar, combining business activity and social events, making it an
occasion not to be missed.

Coin-Op Expo - AmEx 2009 will be held on Tuesday 3 & Wednesday 4
March 2009.  For further information contact Martin Dempsey. Phone
+353 (0)45 521 190. Fax +353 (0)45 521198. Email
martin@coin-opexpo.eu

The Public Computing X5 has been in the market for just over three years and we believe there is still many years of life left in its timeless design. This is why during most of 2007 we have invested in selecting a limited set of component-features that can be ordered with this unit.

An example is the coin-mechanism from WH Münzprüfer Berlin GmbH in Germany. They have been manufacturing coin-mechanisms for over eighty years. The unit that we have selected for integration into the X5 has been in production for more than 12 years and is simply the most reliable unit available. In 2003 they were the first to release an USB-port version for power and communication. For this component Public Computing has designed a simple but robust coin-drop-box that fits well into the X5 with an extended backdoor.

The combination of best-in-class components with the timeless X5 design has proven to be a great success that will be continued in the years to come.

Namco Europe Limited has underlined its intentions to expand into new business sectors adding British Kiddie Rides specialist Amutec to the existing business. The deal comprises the purchase of the Amutec name and a 10,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, together with expansive assets.
Namco Europe Managing Director, John McKenzie explained: “This strong brand complements our existing range of activities and it is our aim to add value and support to the Amutec marque, re-establishing it as a market-leading innovator within the highly competitive kiddie ride sector.“ He continued: “The business at Mablethorpe will once again develop new rides and products, facilitate the refurbishment of rides and continue ADIPS testing, whilst full spares support will be offered by west London-based Brent Electronic.”
The purchase was pre-empted in early January with Namco Europe creating a new Kiddie Rides division, headed by General Manager Chris Bell, whose 25 years’ amusement industry experience includes 20 working in the kiddie rides sector, eight of which were spent as consultant and Sales Manager with Amutec.
Chris Bell added: “The response to our new kiddie ride range at ATEI was phenomenal, adding an extra dimension to the Namco offering. The fresh impetus and professional business planning now being implemented will, I am certain, help restore the highest regard for the Amutec brand, as well as bringing many new opportunities to Namco’s other product sectors.”