Page 21 - BCM May 2024

BEC INDUSTRY BRIEFS

Attendance Mark Topped Again

WITH FIVE co-locating events and a trade show oor and six lanes of duckpin bowling o ering multiple mini-
that was expanded by 20 percent, the 2024 edition of bowling game options.
Amusement Expo International broke the attendance re- e following month, a new venue called Crash N Burn
cord set last year as 4,679 people wound their way through opened downtown. Located in the Neonopolis entertain-
the Westgate Resort and Casino and the Las Vegas Con- ment development on Fremont Street, Crash N Burn o ers
vention Center. four duckpin lanes from US Bowling Corporation among its
Two dozen educational sessions provided amusement attractions — not the least of which is the largest outdoor
industry operators with lots of ideas for operating more patio on Fremont, where guests can dine on American fare
e cient and pro table businesses, while the co-locating and sip cocktails while watching zip line riders zoom by.
events — the BCA Expo, VR Arcade Game Summit, National e facility also o ers life-size lawn games, arcade games
Bulk Vendors Association, Laser Tag Convention and Foun- and beer pong.
dations University — o ered more specialized communica- Crash N Burn is located on the third level of Neonopolis.
tion opportunities. One level down is the development’s other bowling destina-
e AEI Charity Fund’s 50/50 ra e generated $30,000, tion — the regulation lanes installed at e Nerd, formerly
and a $15,000 donation was made to Ronald McDonald operated by PBA star
House Children’s Charities of Greater Las Vegas. Anthony Simonsen. e
AMOA Innovator Awards were presented to Amuse- Nerd also is a multi-
ment Connect for MobileMech and Rocket Amusements attraction venue where
for “Claw the Rings.” Amusement Connect also received bowling shares the
an AMOA Operator’s Choice Award, as did Embed for spotlight with cosplay
Mobile Wallet 2.0, e Really Big Crane Company for “Find (costume play, in
a Key Deluxe” and TouchTunes for “TouchTunes Jukebox which participants don
Builder.” costumes and fashion
Taking the helm as AMOA principal o ers, serving one- accessories).
year terms, were President Bob Burnham Jr. of Paradise So, whether a local
Pinball and Amusement in Cheyenne, Wyoming; First Vice or visitor prefers the
President Brian Brotsch of Knox Amusement in Rochester, traditional sport in The Neonopolis development
New York; Treasurer Tommy Hendley of B&H Vending and a traditional setting in downtown Las Vegas now
Amusements in Indian Trail, North Carolina; and Secretary within a casino com- features two venues with bowl-
Scott John of Amuse-O-Matic in Frederick, Maryland. plex or a small-ball ing lanes after the opening of
e 2025 edition of AEI has been scheduled for March version of the game Crash N Burn, which includes four
17-20 at the same venues. (and let’s not forget duckpin lanes from US Bowling
the small-ball lanes at Corporation.
n Las Vegas is a city that’s ever evolving, and now that Circus Circus and at the
trait extends to the world of bowling. Home primarily to Twilight Zone Mini Golf venue inside the Horseshoe Casino
traditional free-standing centers — College Park Bowl, Las on the Strip), Sin City now has quite a selection of venues
Vegas Bowl, et al — during bowling’s mid-century boom, from which to choose.
later decades saw those venues disappear as mega-centers
were included in new casinos, complementing the centers n Las Vegas already has one location of Round1 that
already operating at PBA and High Roller home Showboat o ers the company’s usual array of arcade games from
Lanes and LPBT home Sam’s Town Bowling Center. Japan, bowling lanes and other attractions. Now, the Las
e rst string pinsetting machines came to the city when Vegas South Premium Outlets mall is working to lure
Brooklyn Bowl — which celebrated its 10th anniversary in Round1 to occupy a 26,000-square-foot space — but with
March — debuted its concert, bowling and restaurant venue no bowling lanes. at makes sense for two reasons: 1.
at e Linq development adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip. Regulation lanes take up considerable space, and most
Now, tenpin bowling, whether played with free fall or Round1 venues are much larger. 2. ere’s a casino-resort
string machines, has been joined by duckpin bowling — housing 124 lanes just 3.2 miles down the street.
one installation on the Strip and one downtown.
In February, Treasure Island opened a 7,400-square-foot n Lucky Strike Miami has opened in Florida. It’s the
bar and arcade on the property’s casino level that includes second new Lucky Strike venue to debut since Bowlero
27 arcade games, Air Hockey, shu eboard, a golf simulator acquired the brand last September and is located in the

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