Vendgogh and WilcoHess, an operator of travel plazas and convenience stores in the southeastern U.S., announced a partnership to pioneer gas-island vending at selected WilcoHess locations. Vendgogh specializes in integrated gas island vending solutions...

Some operators in Pennsylvania have reported that local building inspectors are demanding that vending machines installed in a new building incorporate selector assemblies that are not more than 48" above the floor. Tri-State Automatic Merchandising Council president Lou Pace has put the problem in context, and outlined steps by which it may be solved...

Apriva is rolling out two wireless POS products for mobile merchants. AprivaPay is a browser-based application that allows businesses to directly process credit-card transactions through Web-enabled mobile phones. AprivaPay Professional, a second solution, turns compatible smartphones into fully functional credit-card terminals...

Students in Ontario will face a total ban on foods and beverages its government deems to be "unhealthy," on school property, including candy, soda and energy drinks, with the start of the 2011 school year...

AVT Inc. has reported that it will supply product-dispensing machines to two major partners who have obtained a $100 million contract from the New York City school system. AVT founder Shannon Illingworth says his company is the preferred vendor in this contract and predicts that AVT venders will generate more money per machine than previous venders...

The Virginia Automatic Merchandising Association reports that its legislative consultant has called attention to four measures introduced in the state legislature. Among other things, these initiatives would require the Board of Education to issue regulations establishing nutritional guidelines for all "competitive foods" sold in schools during regular hours...

The restaurant industry is expected to show gradual improvement in 2010, according to the National Restaurant Association's lastest forecast on trends. NRA said industry sales are projected to reach $580 billion this year, a 2.5% increase over the 2009 total sales...

National Coffee Service & Vending has adapted its Café Classics pods to work with the Newco Fresh Cup pod brewer and similar commercial machines. Increased pod weights improve extraction and new package labeling shows users how to make a better brew...

Compass Group is hoping to set a new trend in foodservice with the launch of its “Be a Flexitarian” initiative. Developed in conjunction with the Humane Society of the United States, the new program will expand the variety of meat-free options in all 8,500 U.S. corporate and academic foodservice cafeterias served by the contract foodservice giant...

The hottest trend in the industry today is a new approach to merchandising that offers very high-end prizes of $50 and up. Today we have several top “workhorse’”earners in the merchandiser category such as Winners’ Cube, Barbercut Lite, ’s Amazing Road Trip, Stacker, Lighthouse, X-Prize and Time 2 Win. Together, these games have made 2009 the hottest year for merchandisers since triple cranes... by Frank Seninsky

Coin-op videogame manufacturers have come uncomfortably close to being put on the Endangered Species List in recent years. The number of suppliers that are no longer with us is painfully long, from legendary U.S. giants like Midway and Atari to Japanese powerhouses like Capcom and Data East. And many survivors were forced to merge. But a relative newcomer has succeeded in a tough industry during a very difficult decade of consolidation and retrenchment... by Kevin Williams

I like getting good deals on things, and finding out about deals that not many people know about. In today's economy, we all have an incentive to look for bargains... In fact, I think that bargain hunting has turned into something of a sport. I am not affiliated with any of these websites, but I honestly think that using certain sites to find great deals not only is easy to do, but also leads to substantial savings... by Dave Levine

Three weeks after a judge's restraining order blocked the Alabama governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling from raiding the County Crossings resort and bingo operation here, the unit tried it again on Jan. 29 and failed again. About 140 Alabama state troopers arrived at County Crossings around 4 a.m., ready to haul way the facility's 1,703 electronic bingo machines...

Indicators suggesting that Illinois' planned video gaming market could be in trouble continue to mount. As of mid-January some 63 cities, towns and counties had chosen not to participate in the program, and dozen more were considering opting out, according to numerous reports. The growing wave of opt-outs spells possible financial trouble for video lottery terminals...

Seeking to head off raids on bingo parlors and subsequent job losses, the Alabama House of Representatives is considering a bill that proposes to make electronic bingo games legal until next November. Supporters say during the Nov. 2 general election, citizens could also vote on the status of the controversial machines...

The number of brand-new quarters supplied to American banks by the U.S. Mint fell 61.55% from 2008 levels, while new coins of all types shipped by the Mint dropped 48% last year. A separate statistical report also reflects the deep recession and its impact on the coin machine industry: Beer sales dropped 2.2%, the sharpest one-year drop since the 1950s...

The Coin-Op Cares Foundation is making a $5,000 donation to Haitian earthquake recovery programs run by Save the Children and Unicef, according to the Amusement and Music Operators Association, which administers the industry's educational and charitable foundation. Coin-Op Cares will also direct an industry fundraising effort before and during the upcoming Amusement Expo and match donations from industry sources up to $5,000...

Former Betson Distributing president Rick Kirby has been appointed managing director of Betson Midwest, where he will oversee all vending and coin-op activities, including the division's representation of WMS Gaming in Illinois for video gaming terminals. In related news, Betson and The Funding Stop announced a financing alliance to support what could be a $1 billion recreational gaming market...

The National Bulk Vendors Association said it is organizing a second Capitol Connections Days here on March 17 and 18. The lobbying event is aimed at gaining a permanent exemption from the labeling requirements mandated under Section 103 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act for bulk vending products...

When news broke that some retailers were selling toy accessories containing high levels of cadmium, it was looking as if it might be a case of déjà vu all over again. An Associated Press investigative story prompted swift responses from the Consumer Products Safety Commission and Asian toy manufacturers. But this year's toxic toy scare never seemed to materialize into an industry crisis thanks to the vigilance of the bulk vending suppliers. Allstar Vending is one of them...

A&A Global Industries noted that the Associated Press report of high concentrations of cadmium in toy fashion accessories all involved merchandise sold over the counter in retail stores, not through bulk vending machines. The supplier noted that it tests the products it sells to insure that they comply with federal regulations...

The late Morris (Tiny) Weintraub, longtime publisher of VENDING TIMES, had a doctrine, or principle, for writing editorials. "Criticize the operators," he would say. Those who remember his "Tiny Talks" column will recall that he practiced what he preached. And we've come to recognize that this advice was good, for several reasons... by Tim Sanford

While looking over 10 years’ worth of headlines for this issue’s "Decade in Review" report, I was reminded of the famous "Serenity Prayer," recently proved to have been originally authored in 1937 by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. The prayer begins: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference. The music and amusements industry is bedeviled with many situations that it cannot change... by Marcus Webb

We are, indeed, at the dawn of a new age; but we've been there for quite a while now. That age surely will redefine our industry, but we can't put off planning for long-term success while we wait for the dawn to break. Merely hoping for prosperity to return is not a strategy... by Alicia Lavay-Kertes