Someone's not a collector ?

[moonriver]

The Gambling Commission are overstretched and undermanned as a direct result of a lack of funding of their own making since they were meant to be funded in part by the amusement arcade industry they have managed to destroy

[coppinpr]

I'm not sure you are right there. There are far more arcades now than ever before, all need a licence and all betting shops have to pay an additional licence fee for their slots (which now constitute close to 50% of their income).

[moonriver]

"there are far more arcades now than ever before"......
How little you know about the amusement arcade industry

[coppinpr]

Check out the numbers online. When I was a kid, high street had practically none, now EVERY small town has two. Add in all the betting shops that rely on slots and I think I'm right. In the seaside towns yes, much less true; in London every one that was there in the '70s when I worked there is still there.

A semi official report on amusement arcades closing showed that yes 200 had closed in the last 5 years. Many family business and 90% in seaside towns, the reasons given are four fold, the biggest reason was the unsafe atmosphere that traditional arcades provided. The loss of the 200 arcades was made up in full by the opening of FEC's (family entertainment centres) offering a safer environment and more variation of things to do but still including traditional style machines. Of the four reasons the only one attributed to the Gaming Commission was the change in the licensing of video games which encouraged operators to switch to slots which proved a mistake as there was too much competition from the likes of betting shops, bingo hall and FEC's.

[moonriver]

"betting shops that rely on slots" are not amusement arcades.

The internet 'report' you refer to is well known in the amusement industry and ridiculed as being so far out of touch with reality that it is a running joke. General searches pull it up frequently.

I don't need to "check out the numbers online" as I am well aware of the reality. I had the misfortune of losing my own arcade business I built up over 20 years entirely as a result of the change in the law in 2007 allowing the bookmakers to legally use their fixed odds betting terminals when we weren't allowed anything to compare.
Allowing customers on FOBT's to gamble up to £100 a spin on roulette ( in 8 seconds) changed the high street into a parade of bookmakers, in effect just mini casinos, mushrooming into several on the same average high street, as it was possible to use any shop with planning class A2 already in place to the detriment of the amusement arcades as we were simply swamped with multiple competitors but with machines we weren't allowed to have and couldn't realistically compete against.

Having attended ATEI amusement trade shows over the years at Earls Court and Olympia annually and subsequent dinners with friends and fellow arcade owners exchanging experiences, I know 26 arcade families (just in the north), some after many generations, that have ended up closing down arcade businesses or selling out arcade properties as no longer viable to operate, solely because of the above, which they are incredibly bitter about and fought long and hard lobbying government to correct this unfair imbalance without success. It's the same story all over the Country.
Thankfully I diversified into a different industry which saved the day for me, sadly not for all though.

[coppinpr]

No need to get angry, I don't want to argue. You clearly know what you're talking about, and this will be my last post on the subject, but I have to say the reasons you yourself give in your last post point to (as I said in the previous post) a hell of a lot of reasons why arcades have closed down OTHER than the Gaming Commission.

[jingle]

Coppin is trying to pull people down with
What he reads on the internet and actually doesn't have the
Knowledge of most on here , unless it's about aristocrats
He tried it with our most valued member ( gameswat )
And he has stopped posting now
He has prob forgot more than coppin will ever
Know

Stop trying to be smart coppin
YOUR NOT SMART ENOUGH

[treefrog]

Interesting thread. One of the issues with any collector is a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous and someone who works or has has worked in an industry can become complacent or arrogant. Forums are a dangerous ground for both elements occurring as has been seen over the years on this forum, even recently between MR PM and Daveslot or this thread. I guess it comes down to how one responds and there are ways. See the thread below from the coin op site in the US between Freddy Bailey and Paul.....clearly covering what I have mentioned.
http://www.coinopcollectorforum.com/vie ... f=6&t=6031

Trouble is it is a human trait in trying to get one over the other etc etc and I am certainly not innocent of this although as I get older would like to think I have mellowed. One person I have always seen as being thought out, polite and considered in writing comments, whether critical or corrective is Mr PM who would and could not hurt a fly in terms of people’s feelings. Moderators are no exception here in how they deal with someone who may have strong feelings as was seen over the last week.

In terms of Rory, he certainly would fall into this camp on knowing better and trust me this was not always the case on posts I raised, but avoided reacting. I suspect the issue is how we react to someone as you can very quickly get red mist going by attacking someone as like dogs they will either bite back or cower and whimper off.

I hope both does not happen on this forum, lets all be friends in piece and harmony and not bite back, take a pill, injection, what ever keeps you going and relax.

Long live the hobby and the forum

[treefrog]

By the way, I am always one who bows to a person who apparently has a lot of knowledge and history of the coin op past and as said before, so few contribute on here before this info is lost. Anyone know why Freddy doesn’t use the site, think I may have asked this before as a real shame, sounds like a lifetime of info there

[clubconsoles]

It maybe all this talk of the decline of arcades due to FOBTS is all very relevent and correct, but perhaps needs to be made into another thread.
Treefrog is correct, not worth falling out over and moonriver, glad you found an alternative income.
I do appreciate how hard it is having to move on from the business you love because social habits/ unfair competition/ technology has moved on and made the old fashioned type of arcades unviable.

I have worked with coin op equipment most of my life and started in my early 20s working the Casinos on Cruise ships as a Slot technician.
In the late 80s early 90s we were so in demand and highly paid.
Me and the wife went on a cruise in 2015 and i got talking to the technician and honestly, there is no comparison as to the job in the late 80s.
No more coins to cause hopper jamms, payouts are all on a printed receipt.
No more repairs to componant level, just update the software with an iPad. If that doesn't do the trick, just toss the board and fit a new one!
I think the most sobering fact was that this Technician working on this very busy ship was making less in a month in 2015 than I was making in a WEEK in 1992.

[coppinpr]

Well jingle ,im not trying to pull anyone down,you have a lot say in a rude way(which is unusual as you usually dont bother to contrabute at all)as to gameswat just because he knows a lot dosnt mean he has to be right,or do you think it does My discusion with baily was mostly about who made him "THE OFFICIAL UK SOLT HISTORIAN" perhaps you know? In fact i had a lot of support sent privately to me on that post, no problem ,you win,im gone too, hope the forum dosnt have to wait for your input to keep it going...it will be a long wait, bye all,it was great

[moonriver]

well thats a result then

[dutchboy]

What is happening here? Did somebody run off with someones wife? Why does this discussion ends up so quickly in insults instead of arguing?

[brigham]

I'm glad I didn't see all this before I joined.
I might have missed-out on a good slot-machine forum.

[clubconsoles]

Well it seems it may be a good idea to have two seperate auctions on the same day after all. Some of our Slot Collectors clearly do not enjoy each others company.

[brigham]

Perhaps a separate forum for bitching and backbiting might be in order.
Locked, of course, in case new enthusiasts are put-off.

[treefrog]

You have not been on many other forums, I have been a member of a fireworks one for some time and the competition between members for knowledge is incredible and almost getting to physical cyberspace attacks that go on.....I am sure when all has calmed down things will return to normal, what ever that may be.

Funny - had a look at a number of the other slot machine related social sites like a number of Facebook ones and US coin op, there is nothing at all happening on these, so there is some hope.

The one thing I am well aware of on this site is the two divides of bandit collectors and other stuff. Historically most members on here were more wooden box collectors or anything with a mercury switch, problem is there are far more people interested in bandits in the country, which are more accessible and popular, which puts people off. Always wondered if there should be a separate bandit forum or category, may help things who knows. I guess I am am more associated with bandits, but have come to love certain types of other amusements, of which I have collected many, but still have no knowledge of...

Roll on

[badpenny]

I like the idea of a Fireworks Forum being explosive, I wonder if one for Feline Followers would be catty!

I have to say that down here in the cellar at Pennymachines towers the cleaner and I are sitting around wide eyed with curiosity as to what's going to happen next.

[dutchboy]

I want to wish EVERYONE a happy christmas and hope to read a lot of articles from coppinpr in the next year.

[john t peterson]

I echo Dutchboy's sentiments. MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE! May Santa leave a special treat for you and may 2018 be the best year yet in your collecting adventure.

J Peterson