Recession

[treefrog]

With the increase in arcade closures or closing down sales as listed on another thread, presumably after a drop in income from fewer holiday makers and recession impacted punters, by chance I noticed in the Times legal notice section a list of liquidations of companies. I have no idea why I looked at this, as it is in a section of the paper after the Register and before Personals I never look at. I guess it must have been the first company I saw in the list... Bell-fruit International Ltd. and then Bell-fruit Leisure and so the list went on. The other leisure-related companies in the list were J C Automatics, Scarborough Marineland and Amusement Park Ltd. and Leisure Products Electronics Ltd.

I assume Bell-Fruit is one of the few remaining manufacturers left from the 60s, as I believe they were created in 1963 and have re-badged themselves a few times, from Bell-fruit Manufacturing to Bell-Fruit Games. Of course it may well only be a few subsidiary companies being wound down, but is anyone aware of their demise?

I do not know a great deal about their history, but they seemed to produce a few electro-mechanical bandits in the 60s like the chrome Bell-Fruit bandit and the Penny Cascade before moving to the upright machines. Did they ever produce pure mechanical machines?

[malcymal offline]

I was speaking to an arcade owner last year when we did a trade for a Bally, he said things were extremely tight. The punters weren't so many but he said the main reason for pressure to close was coming from the price of licences for machines and constant taxing of arcades. He was looking to buy the old vintage machines as this is what was drawing in the punters over the new machines, people playing not to win, but just to pull the handle on the bandit, say. His words "If I could get out this year and get an offer I would go". The value of modern machines were a pittance too for resale, for example a coin pusher that cost £2500 a couple of years back, he said would be lucky to get £200. Modern machines costing a grand he could sell to you for 75 quid just to get rid.

His casino section, e.g. over £5 payout involved more cost of having to make a separate area and have it blanked from public view, consequently punters wouldn't even see the casino section leaving it most of the time empty. Some casinos/arcades are getting past the licence rules by turning into bookies - there is some loophole that means they can have a site licence avoiding massive costs. Walk in a casino in Bognor, you will find 80 machines or more burning a lot of electric (energy prices very high) and a few punters in there. It's a shame that they are shutting down, but I also think to a degree that gambling causes a lot of pain and hardship for those who just don't know when to stop. Once what was fun and affordable, pennies, two pences, coin pushers and winning rubbish prizes has turned into a harmful pastime for many.

I went in a bookies the other day to place a very small bet. I bet what I can afford - a tenner on an accumulator. I noticed a bloke on an electronic roulette machine, he had £1500 in the bank....a lot of wonger. He then started betting £100 at a time....within 20 minutes that guy was putting £20 notes upon £20 notes into that machine. It wasn't even my money but I felt physically repulsed by it. Gambling is harmful, I would like to see the casinos in my town gone. The fun arcades on the prom with their 10p a go machines - harmless fun.

Interesting, when I went to Areton Barns on the Isle of Wight, the old time arcade was packed. Kids excitedly changed a £1 coin for ten old pennies and they just looked so engrossed with the old flickballs, games of skill and bandits, getting a long go on a quid. They weren't out to win money, they just wanted the amusements. Amusements of years gone by were just that, they amused...bingo, winning special awards, knocking off pennies on the cakewalk..... you came away with money in your pocket, got ages of play and it didn't leave you with a sour taste in your mouth.

I'm not sad to see these operators of modern equipment go. I remember an old dear in Weymouth last year when I was on holiday, she was playing these 50p a go machines and she told me that she had lost all her week's pension; she looked physically sick. Me playing on the 2p up down nudger having happy memories came out of the place happy but I couldn't help thinking of that old dear. Hardly amusing. It is vital that us slotties keep the history alive by collecting and restoring machines and if those amusements disappear, perhaps we can all get together one day and put on an old time exhibition and let 'em all play for free.
Malc

[pennymachines]

I assume Bell-Fruit is one of the few remaining manufacturers left from the 60s, as I believe they were created in 1963 and have re-badged themselves a few times, from Bell-fruit Manufacturing to Bell-Fruit Games... I do not know a great deal about their history, but they seemed to produce a few electro-mechanical bandits in the 60s like the chrome Bell-Fruit bandit and the Penny Cascade before moving to the upright machines. Did they ever produce pure mechanical machines?

The founding of Bell Fruit, Ltd. coincided with the demise of the Watling Manufacturing Co. They bought up Watling's tools, jigs, dies and stock to make a front-opening mechanical bandit which utilized the old ROL-A-TOP mechanism. I've seen a few of these shiny fronted bandits.

[malcymal offline]

I've seen quite a few Bell Fruit machines on ebay, they have looked interesting but too past it to make it financially viable to renovate them, e.g. the chrome fronts and often the mirrored image at the top often missing. I haven't seen anything particularly old, semi-mechanical bandits with electronic coin slide payouts working on 6d with gold award is the oldest I've seen. I do fondly remember playing on their quite famous nudgers with the amount of nudges on the first reel. You could re-spin the nudge reel to get a higher number, then nudge in 3 bell fruit symbols for a huge one pound in tokens, which moved to one pound in cash. These machines can be found in Isle of Wight amusement arcades still functioning and still very fun to play; 10p for two plays. Can I just ask, on my 1963 Jubilee MK1 with twin jackpot, thee bar symbol states BELL FRUIT GUM, like the Mills machines. Is there any connection with this to the company BELL FRUIT or did Bell Fruit just borrow the name. Something about the old machines vending gum wasn't it??? Malc

[JC]

Yes, Bell Fruit Gum refers to the rolls of gum dispenced by the machines,
'BELL' is the American nick-name for a fruit machine (presumably from the original Fey LIBERTY BELL machine). Just as we call them 'One Armed Bandits' the Americans call them 'Bells'.

Malc, I totally agree with your views on modern arcades.These places used to be for the family to have a bit of fun and amusement, without breaking the bank. Now it's just about gambling. There's little amusement to be found in most arcades today.

[arrgee]

There's little amusement to be found in most arcades today.

Except of course MMM in Brighton.