Heres the Ticket SBs Route 66 Redemption Crane

As I walked around the Amusement Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center, it was encouraging to see many innovative products that raise the bar by incorporating both old and new concepts which add new dimensions to the games and machines. New technology is the amusement industry's best friend -- not the enemy. Technology can also be used to combine proven concepts that work separately into new multi-level concepts, and that is a good direction to head into. Here are some new products that caught my attention:

The Prize Express and Route 66 Redemption Crane from S&B Candy and Toy Co. The Amusement and Music Operators Association was on target when it choose these two games as one of the two winners of the 2015 AMOA Innovator Award. S&B has done a lot more than just add a ticket dispenser and a receipt printer to a crane. It has created a game within a game! It has added a second level of play to a crane by incorporating an attractive light feature that runs up the left side of the cabinet, across the top and down the right side. Each of the 168 lights can be individually programmed to award tickets, or open one of the prize boxes on two keyless prize towers, or print out a receipt for a special promotional discount or value offer from an advertiser if the player misses a prize box light or lands on an empty prize box. The player attempts to stop on the specific colored light that lines up with the prize tower box compartment, which holds a prize that he/she wants to win. The Route 66 Redemption Crane is the model that does not have the two prize towers. The objective of the Route 66 Redemption Crane is to stop on the light that has the highest ticket value or win a receipt for a discount or offer such as $3 off a pizza at Joe's Pizza or a free game of bowling on Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Joe's Bowling Garden.

I enjoyed speaking with S&B president Brian Riggles, and admire his enthusiasm for our industry. For more information to go www.SandBsales.com, or contact Brian at brian@SandBsales.com or call (314) 588-7103.

What this could mean? When I first saw the Route 66 Redemption Crane it struck me as a crane that also included a game like Cyclone was uniquely built into the sides of the cabinet as running lights. So two games in one taking up the space of only one game. This is a great concept to not only make a crane more interesting to play, but to also support a higher price/play (as it is actually two games), with two opportunities to win two entirely different types of prizes. In addition, this crane is a redemption game and can be placed in any type of location. It is good for the street as a standalone, as well as for FECs.

The promotional aspects can be very profitable and not only benefit a specific location, but can be used to cross market with a large number of local, regional or even national companies. This is like having a big prize wheel and a player will win something every time no matter if he wins the crane prize or not. Just imagine getting even $5 a week for 100 of the light stops that are not used for ticket or other internal awards. That equates to $500/week ($26,000/year) in advertising revenue from just one game. On the other hand, if you choose to not charge any advertising fees, you can benefit greatly from cross-promotions with the advertisers sending new customers to your location or facility. Any combination of the two methods is a plus.

I am hopeful that the industry will soon see additional play levels being added to cranes and merchandisers. Merchandisers remain a strong category for our industry and it all revolves around giving the players more ways to win while receiving both entertainment and real redemption value. Thank you S&B and also for offering these two games at a reasonable price.