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Funworld entices Finnish Cinema-goers The future of gaming and entertainment?
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MERLIN GETS PDC ENDORSEMENT The Professional Darts Corporation has officially endorsed Merlin Technologies’ automatic electronic scoring, steel-tip dart game, the Wild Bull. Merlin’s Wild Bull game features automatic electronic scoring of steel-tip darts on a traditional bristle dartboard. This coin-operated casino game allows tavem and pub owners, operators and dart leagues to increase steel-tip dart participation, promotions and begin generating additional revenues.
The PDC, whose mission is to promote televised professional darts worldwide, hosts some of the most prestigious professional world darts competitions and represents some of the top professional dart players in the world, including 13-time world champion, Phil Taylor. Five of PDC’s ranking tournaments are staged live on Sky Sports annually, broadcasting to a global audience of over 300 million viewers. The PDC’s commitment to spreading professional darts worldwide led to breaking professional darts in the US with the first annual Las Vegas Desert Classic in 2002. This year, the PDC introduced a second professional tournament in the US, The World Series of Darts. The PDC has recognized the Wild Bull game as ‘the world’s only electronic dart game officially endorsed by the PDC,’ Steve Pope, vice president of Merlin , told Integrate. 
 Touchtunes completes successful promotion TouchTunes Music Corporation closed the books on its spring Great Jukebox Giveaway promotion two weeks early, as operators snapped up all 3,000 jukeboxes allotted to the programme and then some, according to www.replaymag.com. The factory notified customers on June 13 that the sales promotion was ending before the original June 30 cut-off date, due to heavier-than-expected orders that rapidly depleted the inventory originally set aside for the promotion. TouchTunes ended up bending its own rules, selling more than 4,500 digital jukeboxes with the same discount pricing and zero percent financing plans. “If we had stopped at the 3,000 –jukebox limit, we would have had to end the campaign in early May,” said Dan McAllister, TouchTunes senior VP of sales and poker marketing.
* Iowa operators who formerly operated TouchTunes turned in US $395.000 to the state on June 13, leaving $2.9m still due, reports www.replaymag.com. Iowa Lottery Board president Edward president Edward Stanek told the Des Monies Register that companies had unit July 10 to complete payment. Moss distributing VP Craig Cohoon told the newspaper that operators are still waiting on final accounting on their income from the controversial machines that were ordered removed from locations by May 4, Other businesses have elected to put their income in escrow till the legal debacle clears.  Asia NEWS MUSHIKING SPREADS FROM JAPAN TO US In Japan, the Mushiking franchise has been a big success for Sega. A gameboy advance game has been released, and animated series has been aired on TV Tokyo, toys, trading cards and even tournaments have been held. It now looks, according to GameWorks’ (a chain of indoor amusement facilities founded by Sega , DreamWorks SKG and Universal Studios in 1996) Clint Manny that the popular insect battling phenomenon is set to spread through the US. He told Integrate: “Sega amusements USA has folks who are now dedicated to the card-playing games and working on the selling of those which would include any of the merchandising and the materials that go along with it.” e added: “Through our redemption counters and for sale at our sites, we do have a limited number of Mushiking items, including the neck-holder that carries the poker cards games that you’re playing and portfolios that guests can purchase to store and hold their cards. So there are limited supplies, certainly not to the breadth of items you can find in Japan. It is certainly an area of focus for Sega and again through SAU, they have dedicated people there working on sales of Mushiking and other card-playing games.”With thanks to www.gamasutra.com Subsino opens US office in Ontario, California To better serve the North and South American and Canadian markets, Taiwan-based Subsino has set up a US office in Ontario, California. Terrence Lin is Subsino’s US office representative. Subsino, which considers itself ‘an outstanding R&D firm and manufacturer of amusement and gaming machines’ in Taiwan, is continuing its success using thorough strategic expansion plans and strong leadership. Subsino specializes in the development and manufacture of PC boards of video games and kiddie rides. Over the years, Subsino has built up a group of talented individuals who specialize in the creative use of technology. PDC looks to Far East to promote darts Tim Darby, CEO of the Professional Darts Corporation, told Integrate: “When I look at countries like Japan or China, which are growth markets for the PDC, I believe their younger players love gadgets and are used to the convenience and pace that electronic scoring represents. Having a tool like the Wild Bull will help get these players throwing steel-tip darts.” Darby also envisions a select few of these younger poker players getting better and moving up to a competitive platform where they can compete alongside the likes of darts legend Phil Taylor. “We’re looking long term for what is good for darts and the PDC,” concluded Darby.
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