Traditionally, bowling lanes attracted just those serious about the game and the occasional casual player. Times have, however, changed and, as Helen Fletcher finds out, bowling lanes are fast turning into FECs offering more than just a bowling experience...
The game of bowling, according to TenPinBowling.org, can been traced back as early as the ancient Egyptians when, in 1930, British anthropologist Sir Flinders Petrie discovered a variety of primitive bowling balls, pins and other materials in the tomb of an Egyptian boy from 3200 BC.
Bowling, as we know it today, first started to develop in the 20th century when technology took a giant step forward and the first rubber bowling ball was developed and introduced to the public.
This technological breakthrough resulted in an enormous growth in standardisation and the growth of different organisations. But it was the introduction of the automatic pinsetter in 1946 that really brought growth to the bowling sector.
Competitive bowling began to grow in popularity in the 1950s when it was first broadcast on television and today the sport is played all over the world by both serious and casual players.
Bowling is still a popular family activity in its own right and will attract players on a regular basis, but bowling locations are also an integral part of the coin-op amusement industry and serve as an ideal location to operate machines.
The main type of machines you will find operated in bowling lanes tend to include large video games, cranes, pushers, air hockey tables and American pool tables, with all, according to the operators InterGame spoke to, having similar success.
"All product types have a part to play in the overall bowling environment created in an FEC or a bowling alley and the number of machines and mix depends on the size and customer mix per location," said Adam Hodges, managing director of UK operator Leisure Link. "It is difficult to say which games are most popular with players as the type of machines available varies so much between locations."
Because of the large amount of floor space, bowling lanes tend to lend themselves particularly well to the larger video games and in particular driving and shooting games.
Justin Burke, of Sega, told InterGame: "We have had a long and successful history with video games in bowling locations. But more recently we have seen an increasing number of UFO Catchers being utilised in bowls. The success has been phenomenal and many operators see them as the natural progression of the slowing crane market.
"On the whole there is a general area of similarity between a bowling site, seaside arcade and say a holiday park. Bowling locations may see less redemption, although noticeably this genre is increasing for the UK bowl sector."
Evidence that amusements are popular and still desired in bowling alleys comes in the fact that major manufacturers and distributors such as Harry Levy and UDC based in the UK and Bay Tek Games based in the US, all have products in operation in these locations.
According to Colin Mallery of Harry Levy: "All the products we manufacture and distribute can be found in bowling locations, from pushers to cranes to novelties and redemption. Although amusements have been part of bowling alleys for a very long time, it did take the operators time to see the benefits of having machines but like any business they have evolved."
And according to Bay Tek’s Holly Meidl, bowling centres, when done right, can be a huge entertainment complex.
"I see the trend leaning towards this direction," she said. "Generally game rooms in bowling centres are smaller than a regular amusement arcade as the games are a secondary source of income, meaning bowling centres might not have the broad selection that a traditional arcade might have so they have to be particular about the machines they operate."
As with all locations there are, however, restrictions on the types of machines that can be operated as John Appleton, of operator Mitchell and Butlers, which operates Hollywood Bowl in the UK, told InterGame.
"In the UK we can only operate machines up to Category C as we have no separate adult gaming centre. Plus there is a different customer base compared to the pub market; they are made up of families wanting different games to those found in pubs."
Although amusements have always played an important part in the set up of bowling alleys, Gian Anestis Avraam, vice president and general manager of amusements for manufacturer and worldwide operator QubicaAMF, feels that there are now definitely two entertainment industries converging and he also sees that bowling and amusements with coin-operated games as well as redemption, where legal, will be the trend for future entertainment facilities.
"Multi-entertainment is definitely going to be the winning concept for investors targeting entertainment," said Avraam. "Customers are becoming more and more demanding and are always looking for the broader range of choice for fun. The one-stop-shop concept is, and will be, the trend for the future and bowling alleys are already following this path by offering more than just bowling to their customers."
QubicaAMF is one of the largest manufacturers of bowling and amusement products in the world and started life in 2005 when AMF Bowling Products and Qubica, based in Italy, joined forces to sell each other’s products and operate locations. The company is probably best known for its automated scoring systems and bowling management software, as well as traditional equipment for bowling and amusements, which are used in many locations worldwide, including one of the UK’s largest bowling operators Ten Pin Ltd, formerly known as Megabowl until Georgica Plc took control of the company in 2003.
According to Graham Blackwell, operations director for TenPin Ltd, there has been a significant improvement in the technology available to bowling alleys in terms of the equipment used. That is a move, which could be argued as having a positive knock-on effect to the popularity of the locations - better equipment equals smoother running of the lanes equals a more enjoyable experience resulting in repeat visits.
"We have introduced the Qubica Lane Management System, a fully integrated online booking system and Epos till systems, as well as plasma screens, to enhance the customer experience," said Blackwell. "Bowling centres have changed considerably over the years and are becoming more of an FEC rather than an old league alley as they may have been known in the past.
"The total experience includes fully licensed bars, dining facilities, pool and gaming machines, with some centres also including laser gun areas and children’s soft play areas. The sales mix has changed with the expansion of ancillary spend such as food, drink, gaming and pool becoming larger parts of the mix."
Because bowling alleys now feature all these different activities and services, it opens up the number and different types of potential players to the machines.
"Customer range and age is broad," said Blackwell. "Bowling appeals to people aged two years old up to 100 years old. However, demographic profiling highlights well-off professionals and wealthy families form the highest proportion of the overall customer base."
Blackwell went on to say that the proportion of families and young adults visiting the locations continues to grow, with the older age groups remaining static. This could be partly to do with the evolution of the atmosphere, including cosmic lighting effects and music systems, which appeal more to the younger market, but also the reduction in the number of leagues.
Although amusement machines can open up the opportunities available to bowling alleys and increase takings, the same can be said for bowling alleys doing something for more traditional arcades and FECs.
Perks Entertainment Centre in Ireland operates a broad mix of amusement machines from drivers to novelty to pushers. The company installed a bowling alley at the location nine years ago and, according to company owner Phil Tivy, it has given the location a broader mix of customers and has helped attract corporate groups, parties and school trips, with the end result being more income.
"We find it a good year-round operation as opposed to large amusement rides such as the dodgems, big wheel, trabants and so on, which we used to operate but found very seasonal in their appeal," said Tivy. "We feel that having the bowling alley has broadened our appeal and is an essential part of the mix to our centre.
"We are now able to cater for all age groups and we find that amusement machines add to the bowling alley and other rides and attractions and vice versa."
Perks Entertainment Centre was founded in 1929 and operated a large travelling fun fair as well as the permanent operation. At one time it also had a division operating in China for six years and had several other permanent operations around Ireland.
One area of coin-op amusements that has really flourished within bowling lanes is the table sport sector with American pool tables doing particularly well. The tables have always been there but the numbers and diversity have increased dramatically.
Liam Barrett, sales manager at Sam Leisure, part of the Spanish company, Billares Sam, told InterGame how bowling lanes have learnt over the past 10 years that American pool is ideal for their operations and have replaced many English pool tables that were originally located there.
"Appealing to the widest range of potential players is key," said Barrett. "American pool is highly accessible to novices as well as enjoyable for the accomplished player.
"Commonly anything from just a couple to 10+ tables are sited in a pool area or concourse and there are sometimes another one or two in the bar area. Tables are coin-operated to increase impulse play and avoid queuing with the bowling customers for balls and cues."
The success of table sports in bowling lanes is such that for many new builds they are designed in at an early stage and represent a significant proportion of income and compete favourably with bowling lanes in footprint.
Barrett added: "In designing and refurbishing bowling sites, the priority is no longer to accommodate the maximum number of lanes but to ensure the machines have enough appropriate locations as well.
"Bowls are slicker, cleaner operations than ever before and located within larger leisure developments where customers can choose to shop, eat, drink, watch a film and any number of other things as well as bowl."
However, instead of diluting business, this concept serves all the outlets well and draws customers from far and wide who appreciate being able to park their car once and be entertained all day and evening.
Air hockey is another table game that performs particularly well in bowling locations and Germany-based Nordic CC is one company that has had particular success with the Gauselmann Classical Typhoon Deluxe air hockey table.
"The table has been operated on a worldwide basis for more than 20 years and it is a solid investment for bowling operators," said Reinhard Schloh, managing director of Nordic CC. "Our own Versus line is picking up in sales and when the alley operator is looking for more of a showpiece then we score highly with the Typhoon Versus model."
For Schloh there are also clear differences between bowling alleys and players in different countries, which obviously has an effect on the numbers and types of amusements that are operated.
In the Finnish market, for example, they are much more serious about bowling than in the Danish market and in Germany, the market is developing quite well, with consumers visiting locations for fun rather than serious competition.
The Middle East, a market to which UDC provides a substantial amount of its products, is another market where bowling locations are becoming more and more important for the coin-op sector and it has emerged as one of the principal ‘anchor’ leisure pursuits.
An anchor activity such as bowling is always supported by an FEC, which may even aspire to the proportions of an indoor theme park. The coin-op goes into the location riding on the ‘shirt tails’ of these bigger entertainments. The mix of anchor activity and its coin-op supplement is integral - they feed off one another.
Bowling alleys are clearly an integral part of the coin-op industry but maybe that is more related to the fact they are moving away from the traditional bowling alley format where bowling is the focus of the location and more towards an FEC type environment where other forms of entertainment are just as important to the customer as the bowling.
It is rare for a family to visit a bowling location and just play bowling; they go there because they enjoy the game of bowling but also, as mentioned earlier, enjoy the fact they can be entertained for a long period of time in one spot and as long as this trend continues there should be no reason why bowling lanes cannot become an even more significant location for the operation of coin-op amusements.
