Here’s the Ticket

When a Candy Crane earns $3,133 in a week and becomes the #5 earning game (only behind Wizard of Oz 6 Pl, Big Bass Wheel A, Big Bass Wheel B, & Ticket Monster) in an 86 game FEC, we consider that worthy of ‘Breaking News.’  Ticket cranes have always been our top ROI game and revenues of $300-$400/week were considered exceptional. Even Candy Cranes priced at 25 cents/play or 50 cents/play with small ticket bundles earned well even when set to play to win mode.

However, over the past two months the Alpha Techs have been working on finding the best combination of ticket bundles and high hit frequency for a regular Candy Crane (we chose Smart Industries model for this test but are also using Coast to Coast’s candy crane) set at $1.00/play and a win% criteria goal of 25%. (See Test Games Report & Top 50 Redemption & Merchandisers Combined for details).

Starting out with ticket bundles of 25 tickets (our ticket value is ¾ cent), the Candy Crane ranked 23 of 86 with a win% of 11%. For the next week only ticket bundles of 50 tickets were used and the ranking improved to 18 of 86 but win% only increased to 13%. 100 ticket bundles were introduced the following week without seeing further improvement in the ranking but the win% increased to 20%. Then 150 ticket bundles were added and the ranking improved to 10 out of 86 and the win% increased to 21%. A little more tweaking and maybe the ranking could improve but just to get to the Top 10 was an awesome accomplishment!

Then we added more 150 ticket bundles and removed all of the 25 ticket bundles and the revenues increased again. In week 7 the revenue hit $3,133 (President’s Weekend). We are using equal amounts of 50, 100, and 150 ticket bundles with a total of 20,000 tickets in the Candy Crane at one time and a small mix of 25 cent per piece well known candy items. To build up the height of the tickets, fish tank gravel (plastic pebbles) was added to the base.  The bundles are held together with the stretchable strings that come with the 2000 ticket bricks. Heavy duty colored construction paper bands with the number of tickets printed is used to add further colors. A sign behind the glass instructs the players to bring the ticket bundles won to the Redemption Prize Center. At the end of each shift the ticket bundles won are returned to the Candy Crane and the staff is instructed to fluff up the ticket bundles so the display looks ‘mountainous.’  If the ticket pile is not fluffed up it gets flat and the win% goes down and the players will stop playing as much. And the revenues will decrease.

As you can see, it takes a lot of effort to get the right shape, amount of the tickets in each of the bundles, the number of different bundles, best way to display them, the best hit frequency, and the optimum win%. The more tickets in a bundle, the greater the weight and the harder that bundle is to win. We also liked the challenge of picking the smallest game (2’ x 2’ footprint) and also wanted to see if we can stay at a low prize limit.  In this case 150 tickets @ ¾ cent each = $1.13. The 50 ticket bundles are very easy to win. The Alpha Team did a great job on this and I have a feeling that the revenues can still be increased by increasing the win% a few more percentage points.    

Here’s the Ticket!

Each edition TRR gathers the top prizes sold from several suppliers and checks them with the prizes that Alpha is using in its own revenue-share accounts and that AEM clients are using at their facilities. If Alpha has missed a top selling prize, we make an effort to order it and use it over the next several weeks. The hard part is predicting what items will be the top sellers over the next few months.

What prizes TRR is currently recommending:

Hottest prizes for cranes: Despicable Me 9-12 (avg. cost $3.90); Pacman 7 ($3.30); Despicable Me Pop Vinyl figurines ($6.00); 300 point ticket bundles ($2.25 with ¾ cent ticket value); Smurfs 12.5” ($4.50); Angry Birds 5″ ($4.50); Animal Blankets 10″ ($2.50); Cozy Bears ($4.00); MLB Baseball Bears (choose local teams) ($4.00 average); For Monster Crane: Fruit Ninja and ScoobyDoo 18″-22″ ($6.00 avg).

Hard Goods prizes for merchandisers and for high end at redemption prize center (check State for prize/play limit laws):Dre Beats headphones ($200); Beat Solo headphones ($180); Power Beats (ear buds) ($150); Nintendo DS XL ($210); iPod Nano, iPod touch ($175); Play Station 4 ($400); Xbox One ($500); Wii U with $100 gift card ($400); Autographed sports memorabilia (regional) ($400); iPad Airs ($500); 3333 point ticket bundles ($25 with ¾ cent ticket value); 6666 point ticket bundles ($50); any type of popular gift cards from specific national, regional, or local stores (might be able to score some discounts from local stores).

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HMS Monaco Wholesale Distributors

1. Breaking Bad – We’re excited to introduce a brand new line of licensed novelties for Breaking Bad, the Emmy award winning cable TV show watched by millions of fans. Included are Breaking Bad buttons, key chains, bottle openers, magnets, wristbands, lanyards, patches, and can coolers. Besides using these items for redemption operations, we’re making kits of Breaking Bad novelties ready to vend in prize dispensing games such as cranes, Key Masters, Road Trips, Stackers, etc.

2. Adventure Time – Adventure Time is a critically acclaimed children’s cartoon series on The Cartoon Network that is watched by 2-3 million viewers per week. The main character is Finn, a human boy who lives in a post apocalyptic world. Other featured characters are Jake, Princess Bubblegum, the Ice King, and Marceline the Vampire Queen.

HMS is offering a licensed line of Adventure Time plush and novelties including buttons, key chains, magnets, and patches, along with regular and jumbo claw size plush characters. We’re also making kits using these items that are ready to vend in all your prize dispensing games.

3. DLX Sliderz Headphones – Coming as an exclusive to HMS this Spring, we’ll be offering a technologically advanced line of stereo headphones featuring dynamic sound reproduction, comfort fit, in line microphone, with retail packaging, are travel friendly, and in 4 assorted colors. They’re perfect for use with iPhones, iPads, iPods, and other electronic devices. Best of all, we’re offering these headphones at an unbelievable price. Sliderz headphones will be available this Spring, but should be advance ordered now. For more information and to place your orders, call us at at 800-777-0901.

For more information, contact HMS Monaco at 800-777-0901 or visit their website at www.hmsmonaco.com. 

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Sureshot Redemption – New Licensed Products

Sureshot Redemption has the latest trend taking the country by storm – the Light-Up Kendama (#33508)! Kendama is a one person game of skills and tricks. You hold the toy and pull the ball upward so that it may either be caught in one of the cups or land with the hole on the spike. The light-up Kendama lets you play into the night! The LED’s are a steady, non-blinking light to give a soothing glow that allows you to focus on the tricks. Great for both beginners and advanced players. Batteries are included and easily replaceable.

Hello Kitty is back with a couple new looks! Say hello to Circus Hello Kitty and Circus Animal Hello Kitty. Circus Hello Kitty Circus plush are available in various circus outfits. Circus Animal Hello Kitty plush are dressed up as animals such as lion, elephant, monkey, giraffe, and more. Both styles are available in an assortment of 4 to 6 and range from 6.5 inches to 19.5 inches.

For more information go to www.sureshot-redemption.com or click on Sureshot Redemption’s ad.

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Rhode Island Novelty – Incorporate an Efficient, Effective and Elegant Counter Display

First impressions are so important and are lasting! What impression does your Redemption counter display make? Now there is an EASY way to Retro Fit your current display to provide both your staff and your customers the best that is readily available.

 Average Display Counters

Display with Retrofit Package

Rhode Island Novelty’s Retro Fit Kit will provide you with:

1. A front bin that is always FULL, neat and orderly with products to display.
   
2. A front bin display that is NEVER touched.
   
3. Allows you to pull and refill the “hidden” back bin.
   
4. A uniform shelf of products that make an elegant appearance.

Using a 14″ deep glass shelf and 2 bins, you can redo your current display in a few hours.

Call Rhode Island Novelty to hear more about their “RINCO Retro Fit Presentation” idea at 800-435-3456.

SPECIAL TEST REPORT: Prize Hub Automatic Redemption Prize Center Test – First Six Weeks

 **The main token dispenser changer was out of order for most of this week. The 2nd bill changer was operational.

The above chart shows the revenue trends of the games when a Prize Hub was installed at an FEC whose redemption prize center was not always attended but the game area was open. After just 6 weeks, we are seeing a trending increase in game revenue over the same 2012 weeks. Overall game revenues have increased 41% so the Prize Hub is doing its job. If anyone has any other comparison data you would like to see, let me know. Right now just comparing the revenues from 2013 with 2012 comparable weeks is what we decided was most important. Once we start adding in new games the comparison will not carry as much weight. 

Here’s the Ticket!

Over the next few weeks AEM and TRR will begin testing the following games: Crazy Curve (Skee-ball), Rail Rush (Coastal), Monster Factory & Sky Landers (Adrenaline), and Down the Clown (ICE) – the 2nd of their carnival/midway game series. More test games will be added during the 1st Quarter 2014.TRR has included several non-test games in the Test Game Chart so you can make comparisons between the test locations game revenues and your own actual game revenues for the same games during the same time period. This works much better when the ticket payout and win percentages are within the ranges that we strive for. The games in bold type stand out as the best earners among the latest additions.

Test Games Report – December 2013: Four Week Comparison

Here’s the Ticket!

Compiling this list is the hardest part of the Redemption & FEC Report. A game’s earning position on the list can change drastically any time a game is out of order or malfunctioning, even for a day. This is especially true with a high earning test game when parts are not readily available and the game techs have to use their creative talents to fabricate parts to keep the game operational. Ticket payout and win percentages also have a great effect on each game’s earnings, as does the game’s location within the game area and of course, the number of player positions a game has.

There are some trends to be aware of when reviewing the Top Redemption and Merchandise Games:Top 10 Combined.

• Bay Tek has provided our industry with the most amazing game over the past 5 years-Big Bass Wheel. Even with two Big Bass Wheel’s, one might have predicted that adding a Ticket Monster would cause one or both of the Big Bass Wheel’s to move down the earnings chart. But this was not the case and Bay Tek holds #2, #3, and #4. Bay Tek also has Crank It Revolution and Dizzy Chicken among the Top 20. Thank you Bay Tek!
  
• Wizard of Oz 6 Pl is #1 with double the revenue of the #2 Big Bass Wheel. Wizard of Oz also comes as 3 player or 2 player models. Perhaps we can agree that WOZ deserves the #1 position even though some readers point out that if the rankings were based on revenue per player position, the rankings would change dramatically. I would also point out that if there was only 1 Big Bass Wheel and no Ticket Monster in the test location, that Big Bass Wheel could be #1.
  
• Pharoah’s Treasure at #7 would have moved up if there wasn’t a 2nd Pharoah’s Treasure (at #11) but it is great to see that pushers still have a strong presence among the top earning games.
  
• There are 3 merchandise dispensing games among the Top 10. With prize limit laws in place in several states and more potentially being discussed, it is probable that some of the merchandise dispensing games will move down the earnings chart. But take a look at the many great redemption games that can move up the chart.
  
• Jennison has 2 games in the Top 10 Combined list-Snow Down #6 and Space Ballz #10. This is also a great accomplishment and we should all take notice. Thank you Jennison!
  
• The games that earn the most money are in most cases the quick play games and those that have a higher price/play. This is logical but each facility must make sure that there is a good mix of high, medium, and low price/play games and games with high, medium, and low entertainment value and conversely low, medium and high ticket payout percentages.
  
• The TRR earnings chart lists many top earning games but we are not suggesting that you only look at the top earning games. The best way to maximize revenues is to have some top earning games in each game category so that all demographics can find games that they like to play.

Top 67 Redemption & Merchandise Games – Combined

TRR has compiled the Top 47 Redemption & Top 20 Merchandise Dispensing Games that Alpha-Omega Amusements & Sales currently has at one of its locations. Included in the ranking is 1 Air Hockey Table and 1 Photo Booth. There were 79 games in operation at this particular location at the time of this report.