During the Music and Vending Association of South Dakota's annual membership meeting last week in Oacoma, the mood was upbeat in the wake of the news that the state has approved administrative rules that will allow "line-up" style video lottery games in the state, the first new features to be added to the South Dakota's gaming status in many years. About 35 persons attended the meeting.

According to MVA of SD's Deb Mortenson, several manufacturers are already preparing to submit line-up games for testing and eventual approval. Six manufacturers participated at the June 2-3 meeting and showcased their game prototypes.

The new rules were made effective May 31. The South Dakota Lottery will test upgrades/machines in the upcoming weeks and it is anticipated the new slots-type games will be on the street by October 2011.

With most video lottery locations reporting net machine income declines in the range of 15-25 percent since the statewide smoking ban went into effect in November 2010, it is hoped the new machines and games will help offset the revenue loss.

It is estimated there are 9,200 video lottery games in the state and another 5,600 slot-type machines in Deadwood and other tribal casinos in South Dakota.

Since video lottery gaming was introduced in South Dakota in 1989, poker, blackjack, keno and now "line-up" style equipment are the four types of games that have been approved by the South Dakota Lottery Commission.

AMOA, as part of its goal to offer education and information on topics of industry interest, will host a special online session, entitled: "Valley-Dynamo Pool School — An AMOA-Sponsored Webinar" at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT/12 p.m. MT and 11 a.m. PT on Wednesday, June 29, 2011.

Dave Courington of Valley-Dynamo will serve as the presenter for the session which is set to last up to one hour. He will share insights on identifying and fixing common pool table problems and offer tips on ways to reduce service calls.

This webinar — perfect for tech personnel as well as hands-on owner/operators — is free to AMOA members and $25 for nonmembers.

Click here to sign up for the June 29 webinar, which is being directed by the association's Membership/Member Services Committee.

Invitations will be distributed via email to operator and distributor members (who have an email address on file at AMOA). For more information, contact Jack Kelleher at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 800-YES-AMOA (937-2662).

This year's 84-page AMOA Directory is hot off the press and en route to all member companies!

The publication is the industry's premier, year-round reference about and for members of the AMOA. A complimentary copy of the printed book is being mailed to the association's membership.

In last week's Off-The-Top, we reported the lawsuit filed in federal court by a San Diego mom against Chuck E. Cheese for allegedly operating "illegal gambling devices" had been dropped.

In a new twist on this issue, Debbie Keller's attorneys have re-filed the suit in state court, seeking to have the games removed from the pizza restaurant/entertainment center locations in the state of California.

Keller's attorneys also contend that the original lawsuit did not ask for up to $5 million in damages as had been widely reported, but sought a refund to those individuals who played the games in California.

AMOA will continue to closely follow this case and report on developments in future issues of Off-The-Top.