You can thank me for one of your best customers...he left town about 6 months ago to take a job in Huntsville. My earnings noticeably took a hit for a while...not that many diehard players out this way.

100% is a pipe dream out here, I am lucky to get 75% at one location...only way it makes it feasible to buy new equipment occasionally. Everywhere else it's nearly impossible to get a location, and when I do, it's 50% at one that doesn't earn well to begin with. On top of that, pinball does not even come close to competing with the video gam(bl)ing machines; a very difficult sell.

-Mark

I agree with Lloyd, that this is much closer to the norm. I have a location with similar earnings to the one you describe.

One thing I have learned, you don't need immaculately maintained or the prettiest machines. Yes, definitely keep them clean, with strong/aligned flippers and major functions working, and lamps replaced when practical. Past that it's irrelevant, to all but a few picky players, who are likely to be collectors to begin with.

And, new equipment does indeed help with earnings, but is not the answer, especially if you have nowhere else to rotate machines in and out of.

Location pinball is definitely improving overall here in the States, but not everywhere. Even in regions/cities where pinball does well, it's a far cry from "back in the day." Big operators generally have this attitude, and it's not worth their time to operate them, unless a location specifically requests one. That's how us small-time ops sneak in.

My point is, you can be doing everything "right," but at a lot of locations, it won't really matter. There's simply too much other competition for the entertainment dollar these days, and if you can't hook the younger generation and distract them from their mobile devices, it's a losing battle.

-Mark

Thomas was one of our better players, no doubt. And one of the few from our league that would patronize my machines more than once a week, during league play.

I am transitioning from one that had a decent paying day job with a small route, to no day job, a small route, and a large arcade. None of the them make much money, so I may be the dude in that Chris Farley sketch if things don't start picking up soon.

We're definitely early in Joliet, trying with a few others businesses to turn the downtown into something resembling its heyday. But progress is slow, sometimes it's hard to tell if things are regressing or progressing. And I am patient... but there is only so much patience...and $...one has.

I am impressed you are able to make things work in Huntsville, and more on the way. The South is typically a barren wasteland when it comes to pinball...although I understand Huntsville is kind of its own animal, thanks to the huge number of tech/engineering jobs there at NASA.

-Mark

Wow, that's an insane amount of $ to get that place off the ground.

We looked into the whole microbrew/craft beer thing early on. For a tiny setup with minimal capacity, it was something like $250K. And that doesn't take into account another $500K in building improvements.

It's true...takes money to make money.

-Mark

The problem with that is, if you want an expanding business/route, you can't sell the machines for a long time. And they break down, require repairs, and eventually will wear out. I have yet to "break even" on any equipment I have purchased new in the last 2 years.

But yes, "on paper" the machines these days have a high value which doesn't depreciate quickly. Who knows how long that will trend, though.

-Mark

Agreed.

You need to fight for more than 50/50, especially if you have new/newer equipment.

-Mark

Crazy...yes, you are in the right place to attract the (potential) pinball crowd!

My locations are on or near campus at the largest university in the state, with a large engineering college.

Unfortunately, college kids don't play pinball these days, regardless of major.

This campus was a pinball Mecca as recent as the late 90's...and now, other than a handful of machines I operate, and a handful of old 90's machines I don't operate that are usually in poor condition...location pinball is dead here.

Too many $0.99 apps that can be played over and over...vs. $1 for a single game on a nicely maintained, modern pinball machine. I suppose "modern" is irrelevant. Most Sterns that sit next to a 90's WMS title are the same to most people...they can't tell the difference, and think they are all old.

Pinball needs some innovation to generate some excitement...I hope Stern at least comes out with an LCD soon. Not that it's remotely cutting edge...but it's something.

-Mark

I have it installed on my route. However, other than a few die hard players, people aren't really using it.

It's a Catch 22 type of thing as an early adopter...casual players aren't interested in downloading an app, installing it, registering, and loading at least $5 on it (appears to be $10 minimum, but isn't) all to play a game or two. And since I am unable to have more than two machines per location, and PR doesn't exist elsewhere in the area, it's hard to get people interested.

It seems to work well in locations that have many machines, however.

PR is still buggy and is missing some functionality...but it has promise.

-Mark