Sam Arnold, founder, International Slot Machine Sales.
IN an industry that is becoming ever more corporate, Sam Arnold is a classic example of something increasingly rare – a true entrepreneur.
He started out 12 years ago, at the age of 16 and still at school, with three used slot machines to sell. Today his company, International Slot Machine Sales, is a global phenomenon with bases in the US, the UK, Hong Kong, Macau, Latvia, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
“I had a friend in New Zealand who was selling new machines to pubs and clubs. The market there has a 20,000 machine cap, so every time a new machine is sold, a used one drops out of the market. I asked him what happens to those used machines and he told me that they just got crushed.”
Arnold asked his friend if he could buy a machine, just for his own use at home. His friend agreed and so Sam went along to the factory to pick it up. “There were about 500 used machines there and I ended up buying three, which I took home to play on with my mates.”
Later on, when he needed some cash, he decided to sell the machines and placed an advert in a local newspaper. “Within an hour I had over 20 phone calls and could have sold the machines many times over. I went back to my supplier and bought 10 more and quickly sold them. Then I went back and bought 30 and so on until all my customers had been supplied.”
This article can be read in full in the October issue of InterGaming.
