demise of quiz machines factors and solutions (main body)
Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2016 11:20 pm
There has been a noticeable and accelerating removal of SWP's (Skill With Prizes) machines in British pubs and this report attempts to address the situation to slow or even reverse the situation , what can and cannot be done and how much is the decline attributable to the gaming industry itself. Fifteen years ago SWP's were an oddly British phenomena commonly seen and discussed by the general population and were even seen within soap opera sets showing their acceptance into our way of life. Soon we will past the tipping point and the end will come much sooner than we could conceive in the early 2000's when business was booming.
I am not aligned to any gaming company or provider and I hope that my slant on the situation helps to change the gamings industry treatment of the SWP's sector. My knowledge an insight has been garnered from a thirty year playing experience.
The reasons for the SWP demise is very complex and is similar to the denouement of the Murder On The Orient Express , all suspects are guilty but how can you determine who is most guilty?
FALLING PUB NUMBERS
The number of pubs in the United Kingdom fell from 58,200 in 2006 (Daily Telegraph Report 10 Dec 2014) to 52,750 by the end of 2015 (Guardian Report 4 Feb 2016)
It goes without saying that less pubs means less opportunities to sight machines and the situation is made far worse when it is appreciated that many of the new pub openings are micro-pubs where there is no room to swing a cat let alone place a quiz machine.
Solution : none
CHANGE IN THE COMPLEXION OF THE PUB
The loss of habitat for a quiz machine has been compounded by the proliferation of gastropubs a term that was first coined by David Eyre and Mike Belben who took over The Eagle in Clerkenwell in 1991 (Wikipedia)
Most but not exclusively gastropubs are devoid of the traditional or should I say recent traditional trappings of a pub. Swept away are the pool tables , dartboard , fruit machines and quiz machines as they take up valuable dining space and are a reflection of the common working man not the refined diner they are trying to attract.
Solution : none
QUIZ MACHINES THE LOOK
Most quiz machines are of a non descript nature probably designed to just blend in with their surroundings black and grey being the commonest colours. However the attractiveness of the units must have some importance . The Paragons and Gamesnets are the commonest machines get plus points for simplicity and durability.
Solution : Gamestec many years ago annouced that they would produce units in a small range of colours. It never happened. Greater choice can only be a good thing , how about the odd pink machine in gay quarters remembering the power of the pink pound?
QUIZ MACHINES ACCESSIBILITY
Quiz machine playing involves a touch screen and yet how many times have I approached a machine with nowhere to put my drink!
Solution : It should be standard that all gaming units either have a drink holder or ledge onto which a drink can be rested.
QUIZ MACHINES THE SITING
Quiz machines are often situated in ridiculously poor positions , hidden in dark corners of a pub away from other gaming , near hatches or near pinch points. Many years ago I played a machine in the toilet area of one location.
Solution : Make gaming managers visit pubs and not just sit in offices to make the important decision of siting onsite.
QUIZ MACHINES THE CARE
Machines are often neglected , screens often filthy causing static build up and the malfunctioning of the machine and unfortunately it is fairly common for drinkers to tip the dregs of their drinks into the cashtrays converting into drip trays where possible. Due to heavy handedness primarily screens can become skewed so that games are difficult or impossible to play. The chutes (particularly associated with Gamesnets) can clog.
Solution : Clean screens regularly and check trays. Coin collectors should have a cursory touch of the screen on each visit to make sure games are available , pub staff should be trained to look out for basic problems and chutes should be cleaned at regular intervals.
QUIZ MACHINES THE INTERNAL COMPETITION
Quiz machines are facing competition from the grabber machines , the stacker machines , digital fruit machines and even a resurgence of video games.
Solution : There is a simple solution where space limits choice incorporate units into one for example I believe there should be no problem into combining their quiz machine , Gamestec's I-pub digital fruit machine and video games into one machine using different screens for each component part.
QUIZ MACHINES THE EXTERNAL COMPETITION
The number of people using tablets and laptops in pubs has exploded once surfing in pubs became free so often once a customer has bought a drink they remain rooted to their chair for the duration.
Solution : none
QUIZ MACHINES FAULTY PAYOUTS AND REFUNDS
One of the most common annoyances is the refusal of a site to payout a trifling sum when a machine states it owes that sum of money. Suddenly the employee will explain that the machine is rented from a company , the pub itself does not own it and is not permitted to refund until the fault and amount has been verified by an engineer. The delay is increased as it is the collector who generally makes the refund to the pub and not the engineer. Pubs take your details and say they will be in contact when the refund is there to collect but rarely do.
Solution : How fair is it to request that a customer has to make a 210 mile round trip to pick up a six pound refund? This once happened to me but I complained about it and Whitbread to be fair issued a company cheque (I should have framed it! )
All pubs should keep an refund book and note down all details of a claim and give the customer a duplicate copy. Players should be kept in the loop during the refund process. Commonsense should prevail . If a unit owes a relatively small amount and displays that amount as an IOU on the screen the pub in question have a good enough working relationship with the machine supplier to be entrusted to issue the refund there and then prior to checking. This is good business practice and lead to better relations with gaming customers.
QUIZ MACHINES FLOATS
This goes hand in hand with refunds. If you asked anybody with an ounce of common sense what the hopper level of a machine should be set at bearing in mind there is at least one game with a potential jackpot of £50 (Foxy Ladies Bingo) I would suggest that most members of the public would surmise that at the very minimum the level would be £50. Sceptre Leisure did not agree with this and it was common knowledge within the machine sector that Sceptres collectors were instructed to keep hopper levels at a paltry twenty pounds. I in a long and animated telephone conversation with Ken Turner the one time CEO of Sceptre Leisure accused him of bad business practice and that his company must have had severe cashflow problems. This he denied. Oddly enough it was not long before the company went into administration and became Regal although in my personal experience with them old habits die hard amongst many of their collectors.
Solution : Surely a minimum float level of £75.00 is not asking too much. Customers will not repeatedly play machines that do not pay out the whole of the wins.
QUIZ MACHINES RUNNING
Many quiz machines run using Microsoft 2000 or something nearly as antiquated and the wait for a game to load let alone play can be excruciating . Slow play destroys enjoyment and replay as well as slowing gamer losses and machine profit by extension.
Solution : It is now 2016 , time to install current software.
QUIZ MACHINES GAME CONTENT
The early 2000's heralded the arrival of the multi-gamed terminals the trailblazers being the Gamesnet (Gamestec) and the Itbox (Leisure Link) . This should have been the dawn of a new era a new foundation on which to build though in retrospect I would argue that the machine companies had sown the seeds that would ultimately help to precipitate the decline as rival gaming companies began a games race to see who could place the greatest number of games on their units with little regard to quality. As game choice became so wide a jackpot on one game could make this game unplayable for months afterwards as the throughput of individual games became so diluted through choice.
Solution : Look at the number of plays per game per unit and remove the least played games as there is no obligation in having all units promoting the same line up. Remove the dross as there is plenty of it to remove and even consider trialing one game machines again.
QUIZ MACHINES COINAGE & NOTE ACCEPTINGQuiz machines should accept all 'silver' coinage from five pence to fifty pence as well as the one pound and two pound coin. The introduction of the nickel plated coins by the mint in 2012 ably demonstrates the laggard nature of the gaming industry in responding to change even with prior notice.The fact that there are many units in 2016 that do still not accept the 'new' coinage sadly speaks for itself.
A proportion of the units accept bank notes although many of the mechanisms have been disabled. Notes in coinage out is not sensible with the industry tendency to maintain relatively low hopper levels.
Solution :Prepare for the future immediately on notification of changes so that there can be a smooth transition. All units should be equipped with note acceptors and should be aligned with the AWP sector so that payouts can be facilitated by banknotes as well as coinage.
I am not aligned to any gaming company or provider and I hope that my slant on the situation helps to change the gamings industry treatment of the SWP's sector. My knowledge an insight has been garnered from a thirty year playing experience.
The reasons for the SWP demise is very complex and is similar to the denouement of the Murder On The Orient Express , all suspects are guilty but how can you determine who is most guilty?
FALLING PUB NUMBERS
The number of pubs in the United Kingdom fell from 58,200 in 2006 (Daily Telegraph Report 10 Dec 2014) to 52,750 by the end of 2015 (Guardian Report 4 Feb 2016)
It goes without saying that less pubs means less opportunities to sight machines and the situation is made far worse when it is appreciated that many of the new pub openings are micro-pubs where there is no room to swing a cat let alone place a quiz machine.
Solution : none
CHANGE IN THE COMPLEXION OF THE PUB
The loss of habitat for a quiz machine has been compounded by the proliferation of gastropubs a term that was first coined by David Eyre and Mike Belben who took over The Eagle in Clerkenwell in 1991 (Wikipedia)
Most but not exclusively gastropubs are devoid of the traditional or should I say recent traditional trappings of a pub. Swept away are the pool tables , dartboard , fruit machines and quiz machines as they take up valuable dining space and are a reflection of the common working man not the refined diner they are trying to attract.
Solution : none
QUIZ MACHINES THE LOOK
Most quiz machines are of a non descript nature probably designed to just blend in with their surroundings black and grey being the commonest colours. However the attractiveness of the units must have some importance . The Paragons and Gamesnets are the commonest machines get plus points for simplicity and durability.
Solution : Gamestec many years ago annouced that they would produce units in a small range of colours. It never happened. Greater choice can only be a good thing , how about the odd pink machine in gay quarters remembering the power of the pink pound?
QUIZ MACHINES ACCESSIBILITY
Quiz machine playing involves a touch screen and yet how many times have I approached a machine with nowhere to put my drink!
Solution : It should be standard that all gaming units either have a drink holder or ledge onto which a drink can be rested.
QUIZ MACHINES THE SITING
Quiz machines are often situated in ridiculously poor positions , hidden in dark corners of a pub away from other gaming , near hatches or near pinch points. Many years ago I played a machine in the toilet area of one location.
Solution : Make gaming managers visit pubs and not just sit in offices to make the important decision of siting onsite.
QUIZ MACHINES THE CARE
Machines are often neglected , screens often filthy causing static build up and the malfunctioning of the machine and unfortunately it is fairly common for drinkers to tip the dregs of their drinks into the cashtrays converting into drip trays where possible. Due to heavy handedness primarily screens can become skewed so that games are difficult or impossible to play. The chutes (particularly associated with Gamesnets) can clog.
Solution : Clean screens regularly and check trays. Coin collectors should have a cursory touch of the screen on each visit to make sure games are available , pub staff should be trained to look out for basic problems and chutes should be cleaned at regular intervals.
QUIZ MACHINES THE INTERNAL COMPETITION
Quiz machines are facing competition from the grabber machines , the stacker machines , digital fruit machines and even a resurgence of video games.
Solution : There is a simple solution where space limits choice incorporate units into one for example I believe there should be no problem into combining their quiz machine , Gamestec's I-pub digital fruit machine and video games into one machine using different screens for each component part.
QUIZ MACHINES THE EXTERNAL COMPETITION
The number of people using tablets and laptops in pubs has exploded once surfing in pubs became free so often once a customer has bought a drink they remain rooted to their chair for the duration.
Solution : none
QUIZ MACHINES FAULTY PAYOUTS AND REFUNDS
One of the most common annoyances is the refusal of a site to payout a trifling sum when a machine states it owes that sum of money. Suddenly the employee will explain that the machine is rented from a company , the pub itself does not own it and is not permitted to refund until the fault and amount has been verified by an engineer. The delay is increased as it is the collector who generally makes the refund to the pub and not the engineer. Pubs take your details and say they will be in contact when the refund is there to collect but rarely do.
Solution : How fair is it to request that a customer has to make a 210 mile round trip to pick up a six pound refund? This once happened to me but I complained about it and Whitbread to be fair issued a company cheque (I should have framed it! )
All pubs should keep an refund book and note down all details of a claim and give the customer a duplicate copy. Players should be kept in the loop during the refund process. Commonsense should prevail . If a unit owes a relatively small amount and displays that amount as an IOU on the screen the pub in question have a good enough working relationship with the machine supplier to be entrusted to issue the refund there and then prior to checking. This is good business practice and lead to better relations with gaming customers.
QUIZ MACHINES FLOATS
This goes hand in hand with refunds. If you asked anybody with an ounce of common sense what the hopper level of a machine should be set at bearing in mind there is at least one game with a potential jackpot of £50 (Foxy Ladies Bingo) I would suggest that most members of the public would surmise that at the very minimum the level would be £50. Sceptre Leisure did not agree with this and it was common knowledge within the machine sector that Sceptres collectors were instructed to keep hopper levels at a paltry twenty pounds. I in a long and animated telephone conversation with Ken Turner the one time CEO of Sceptre Leisure accused him of bad business practice and that his company must have had severe cashflow problems. This he denied. Oddly enough it was not long before the company went into administration and became Regal although in my personal experience with them old habits die hard amongst many of their collectors.
Solution : Surely a minimum float level of £75.00 is not asking too much. Customers will not repeatedly play machines that do not pay out the whole of the wins.
QUIZ MACHINES RUNNING
Many quiz machines run using Microsoft 2000 or something nearly as antiquated and the wait for a game to load let alone play can be excruciating . Slow play destroys enjoyment and replay as well as slowing gamer losses and machine profit by extension.
Solution : It is now 2016 , time to install current software.
QUIZ MACHINES GAME CONTENT
The early 2000's heralded the arrival of the multi-gamed terminals the trailblazers being the Gamesnet (Gamestec) and the Itbox (Leisure Link) . This should have been the dawn of a new era a new foundation on which to build though in retrospect I would argue that the machine companies had sown the seeds that would ultimately help to precipitate the decline as rival gaming companies began a games race to see who could place the greatest number of games on their units with little regard to quality. As game choice became so wide a jackpot on one game could make this game unplayable for months afterwards as the throughput of individual games became so diluted through choice.
Solution : Look at the number of plays per game per unit and remove the least played games as there is no obligation in having all units promoting the same line up. Remove the dross as there is plenty of it to remove and even consider trialing one game machines again.
QUIZ MACHINES COINAGE & NOTE ACCEPTINGQuiz machines should accept all 'silver' coinage from five pence to fifty pence as well as the one pound and two pound coin. The introduction of the nickel plated coins by the mint in 2012 ably demonstrates the laggard nature of the gaming industry in responding to change even with prior notice.The fact that there are many units in 2016 that do still not accept the 'new' coinage sadly speaks for itself.
A proportion of the units accept bank notes although many of the mechanisms have been disabled. Notes in coinage out is not sensible with the industry tendency to maintain relatively low hopper levels.
Solution :Prepare for the future immediately on notification of changes so that there can be a smooth transition. All units should be equipped with note acceptors and should be aligned with the AWP sector so that payouts can be facilitated by banknotes as well as coinage.