“The machine of 2017 was without question Electrocoin’s Monte Carlo …”
Mr P’s Classic Amusements will open a new branch in Chatham at the end of February, with the operator looking to expand on a successful 2017 for its Tonbridge site.
Indeed, owners Dave and Amelia Douglas are looking for 2018 “to be a year of focus and development of the brand”, and the new Chatham site, once ready, will help achieve that.
“It has been such a hard slog and the delay has been down to the soundproofing of the arcade. We finally have some light at the end of the tunnel and we have finally got the green light to move forward,” explained Douglas. “Chatham will be an epic adventure, and an arcade that will be a great addition to the town and surrounding area. Many lapsed or dormant players will once again be able to enjoy the classic machines that were around in the social clubs, pubs and arcades in the 1990’s until present day.”
Looking back on the year at the Tonbridge arcade, Douglas was glad to see the back of coin changes, and impressed by certain machines brought in during the last 12 months.
“2017 was a year of extreme investment and a lot of upheaval as we had the new £10 note to fully adopt, meaning huge investment in our note acceptors, and of course the new £1 coin.
“We had a very smooth transition in Tonbridge with the switch, and we were new £1 ready very early on. The Royal Mint changed the coin three times, so it did mean we had three times the workload, but we did it. Probably the worst thing was boring our tubes so that the new £1 didn’t get stuck, but we worked through it and got it all done,” said Douglas, before moving onto more positive matters.
“The machine of 2017 was without question Electrocoin’s Monte Carlo which is an astounding Category C compendium and it is baffling why it is not everywhere. The leading games are Bank Vault (Ten or Ton) and Bar X Gold, the classic 20 Winline game with free spins. We applaud Electrocoin on such a great machine with innovation, often lacking these days in the marketplace.”
Mr P’s has also been working on his B3 collection, which he ensures are better than anything the local bookmaker has to offer.
“Our B3 titles have been improved dramatically as we continue to put the bookmakers in their place by offering the highest percentage payouts in the entire Tonbridge high street,” he commented. “Typically in the bookmakers you will find your best percentage payout will be 91 percent on £2 stake. We have our £2 percentage payout at 94 percent or even 96 percent payout where possible.
Slowly word has got out that our games are far superior, and with a much better return to player there is no wonder why.” Gearing up for the new year with some new machines, Mr P’s Classic
Amusements in Tonbridge is looking forward to developing its brand and opening a new arcade in Chatham.
Published in Coinslot Review – EAG Preview, January 12th – January 18, 2018
