Source: Replay Magazine

The ill winds of uninformed backlash have seen operators in a number of states, particularly in the southeast, lose considerable market, practically overnight, when it comes to operating redemption games. These developments have been well chronicled in the pages of trade journals like this one.

A story that has not been given as much prominence, though, are the efforts of a number of firms to design, develop and distribute equipment to fill that void.  Most importantly, equipment that falls clearly within both the letter and spirit of a number of state laws on the operation of prize based redemption.

One such company is a relative newcomer called Quantum Games, based in Atlanta, Ga. and founded in 2001.  Company founder Darren Breese has a deep background in the game business, having worked for Bass Leisure in product management in the U.K. before transferring to the U.S. as part of Bass Hotels and Resorts( including such ubiquitous names as Holiday Inn). There he helped manage machine operations in both the U.S. and abroad.

Breese said his ties to the game development community in the U.K. largely known for prize machines including both soft gaming style pieces as well as flashy, themed pushers, prompted him to found Quantum Games. “I saw an opportunity here in the U.S. to draw upon the resources   of the game development companies in the U.K.,” he explained. “They have a tremendous amount to offer.”
 
The games that have followed, licensed from major players in the U.K. (including Jumping Bean, an offshoot of the Bell Fruit Group)  include the Pac-Man Pusher, Quarterback (a closed loop upright pusher where tokens never leave the playfield)  and the recent Monopoly Pusher, all being distributed in the U.S. by New York-based ICE.  “We have worked with ICE on the licensed pushers and they have done a great job for us,” said Breese noting that all those pieces are built in the U.K. and shipped across the Atlantic for sale in the U.S.

Quantum has been working closely with another partner, MCR Inc., a game and cabinetmaker based in Memphis, Tenn., to bring a series of non-licensed pushers and video redemption games to the U.S. market. Pushers distributed by MCR include Crazy Fruits, a large 8 player pusher, Route 66(another closed loop rapid fire pusher where players buy in credits and fire the coin through a system that recycles it right back onto the playfield) and Gold Fever, a three player wall-mounted pusher with an overhead marquee.
 
In the video category, Quantum and MCR first worked together on a game called Match Play, which was also built in England, and most recently have begun to produce another video redemption game called Treasure Island.
 
“It was really Match Play that got me linked in with MCR” explained Breese.” In July of 2002 I got together with Cole Porter at MCR to develop Match Play. The game was made in England for the European market, and Cole was instrumental in developing the U.S. version. He could see the game was a true skill piece.”
 
The alliance with MCR has continued to grow, with Breese bringing his access to game content and MCR providing a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and full service department, not to mention an established customer base.
 
Their newest product, Treasure Island is being completely built at the MCR facility using a proprietary hardware platform called Zoom Technology. This modified Windows-driven processor can handle high-end graphics while requiring less resources than traditional game engines. Initial product runs of the games are being targeted at the Georgia and Florida markets both of which allow limited prize redemption.
 
“I believe strongly in ensuring that all our games are compliant in the markets we sell”, continued Breese. “Industry legal expert Tom Fricke has spent many hours studying the game. His documentation is a great tool especially for operators who are proactive in working with law enforcement officials. It really offers a great, legal replacement for the video poker and 8-liner games where they can no longer be operated.”
 
The Treasure Island playfield consists of a three-by-three picture matrix, and the horizontal line in the center is the win line. Players are given one nudge per game. The nudge feature allows the player to move one of three columns up or down. The objective of the game is to align one of the fifteen winning combinations across the win line. The initial screen never represents a winning combination until the player has successfully nudged the win into place. The game is fitted with a printer that enables players to collect their winnings in the form of a printed voucher. These vouchers can be redeemed for merchandise within the location.
 
As for compliance within state laws that allow for prize redemption in Georgia and Florida, Fricke said that scientific collection of player performance data over seven separate test scenarios bears out the games skill factor. In other words, the longer you play the better you perform on the game.
 
“The player makes a difference and that is reflected in the performance data and not mere conjecture,” said Fricke, an industry commentator and long-time advocator for the reform and liberalization of state prize redemption laws.
 
Georgia law bans certain types of machines including poker, blackjack and keno, but still allows for prize-based redemption as long as prizes are redeemed at the same venue where the game is played. Skill must be present in the games played, although skill predominance is not required. Per play prizes are limited to merchandise valued at $5, although multiple play credits can be accumulated. Locations that operate games must derive at least half of their revenue from non-game operations.
 
In Florida, which has a much older prize redemption statute, skill must also be concurrent with chance in game play, and prizes are limited to $.75 on a per play basis. Florida locations generally must operate games in groups of 50 machines or more.
 
According to Fricke, Treasure Island requires player skill to achieve an optimum result in a session of game play. It also assists the operator in properly awarding merchandise documentation, and is operator adjustable so that the game is in compliance with the local law, meaning there are hand count settings for $5 and $.75.
 
“There is tremendous demand for this kind of product. The operator who wants to comply with the law is now able to do so with all the proper documentation he needs to support that position,” concluded Fricke. “This is no different than cranes in the 1980’s. The lack of compliance support discourages capital investment in such a business.