Is Your Store Evolving With the COAM Industry?

By Bill Nader, CEO of ARC Gaming & Technologies
The Georgia coin-operated amusement machine (COAM) industry provides a variety of benefits for store owners, customers, the community and more. By providing entertainment, added opportunity for revenue growth and additional funding for community scholarships, COAMs give each of the thousands of convenience stores in Georgia reason to stay up to date with the latest developments and innovations to ensure each machine is maximizing its potential.

To effectively capitalize on this potential, stores must be certain they have the best technology to manage their COAMs. The risk of falling behind can cost your business in missed revenue opportunities and customers who find better experiences elsewhere.
But staying ahead also requires partnering with the right team.

ARC Gaming & Technologies: Leadership, Innovation and Market Focus
Equipping store owners with the tools to enhance and grow their business requires a management team with integrity and experience – and a firm grasp and understanding of the regulatory environment, the convenience store industry and customers.

The Georgia COAM market is a regulated, skill-based gaming market, rather than a traditional cash-paying system, which presents an exciting opportunity for ARC. We independently approach each market, recognizing that no two are identical; however, the fundamentals of success remain consistent: building strong relationships, understanding customer needs, delivering exceptional service and continually advancing technology.

Georgia’s recent legalization of gift card payouts is a transformative development, one that directly aligns with our strengths. Enabling machines to pay out via gift cards fundamentally changes the dynamic of the market, making it more appealing and versatile. It’s what ultimately drew David and I to Georgia, giving us the opportunity to leverage our proven track record of pioneering technology and payment solution expertise with ARC.

In the late 1990s, our previous company in Nevada developed the first interlinked payment system in the distributed gaming industry, setting a new standard far ahead of the competition. Then in 2012, when Illinois legalized its Video Game Terminal market, we developed our own fully integrated payout solution. Now in Georgia, our approach brings a modern, customer-centric perspective to the COAM market. 

With a strengthened focus on innovation, strategic growth, and community engagement, ARC’s innovative technology provides convenience store owners with the tools needed for future success.

Which brings us to our latest innovation: ARC’s Gift Card Kiosk, a breakthrough gaming development that will usher in the future of COAM operations. In a saturated and competitive market for consumer attention, convenience stores across the state must create value-added entertainment for customers, giving them another reason to visit and stay longer without adding extra burden on employees.
Consider Innovations like the Gift Card Kiosk
Historically, cashiers needed to make payouts on behalf of COAMs, an inefficient use of labor and time. ARC’s Gift Card Kiosk eliminates this problem. The new, state-of-the-art machine is a groundbreaking innovation that enhances operations with a reliable and efficient solution for managing COAM systems. 

By providing a simple mechanism to manage a store’s entire COAM system, ARC allows store owners to concentrate on their core business functions without the added workload.

With Georgia in mind, ARC’s new kiosk technology controls ticket generation, TITO functionality, and interfaces with card processors and the Route Management System (RMS) for seamless, hands-off gift card redemption without the need for employees to handle payouts. Optionally, the kiosks can support cash dispensing for ATM and bill breaking alongside potential for integrating both lottery purchases and sports wagering on the same kiosk as future features.

This efficient solution maximizes earnings potential, while minimizing the time and effort required from store owners and employees, making it a seamless addition to any store focused on growth and success. Featuring a 24-inch, high-definition touchscreen monitor, TITO printers, and a slim, out-of-the-way footprint that requires minimal floor space, ARC’s new kiosks are made of 12-gauge steel, weigh 375 pounds, are tested and approved to UL standards and can be bolted to the floor or wall for added security.

Consider the Benefits of a Gift Card Kiosk
Adding a Gift Card Kiosk reduces the workload on employees and capitalizes on the proven, established and reliable revenue streams from each COAM. Further, these kiosks enable store owners to focus on their core business while streamlining customer interaction, satisfaction and engagement.

By adding a Gift Card Kiosk,  convenience stores can increase revenues per location, turn non-profitable floor space into a dependable revenue stream, increase customer engagement, attract new customers and broaden entertainment options that contribute to an environment that keeps customers in-store longer and coming back for more.
 
If you’re a convenience store owner in Georgia who manages COAMs, don’t fall behind. You must consider adding a Gift Card Kiosk as a solution to improve your operational efficiency at no cost to your customers or employees.  The Gift Card Kiosk is just one way ARC is set to change the industry;  ARC looks forward to partnering with C-Stores in Georgia to continue driving growth and creating value.   

Bill Nader is CEO of ARC Gaming & Technologies, where he uses his experience in the gaming and technology sectors to usher in the future of Georgia’s COAM market. His prior experience includes helping to found Gaming & Entertainment Management (GEM) in Illinois, which became a major player in the state before its acquisition by Delaware North in 2016. . ARC Gaming & Technologies is based in Norcross, GA. For more information, visit www.arc.com
Georgia Association of Convenience Stores.  All Rights Reserved.
168 North Johnston Street, Suite 209  |  Dallas, Georgia 30132
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