Benchmark Games has made a successful business out of having fun. But as Jenni Shuttleworth discovers, it has meant a lot of hard work along the way, work that keeps increasing as the business grows

In 1993, Benchmark Games\’ owners Alexander Kress and Ron Haliburton knew they were on to a good thing when their first game Roll For Gold proved to be a huge success.

With decades of experience at all levels of the coin-op industry, Kress, together with president Ron Halliburton, began developing entertaining family redemption games.

The company\‘s line of redemption games and self-contained merchandise machines grew from one single product line to now, in its second decade of operation, producing and selling more than 16 products.

This product line includes such games as Big Haul and Drill-O-Matic, and the newer additions Pop It For Gold and Red Hot. Distributors, just to name a few, include, Betson Enterprises, MGA, Brent Leisure, Brady Distributors, LAI and Elmac.

Benchmark\‘s product was initially offered to the US market but as the product line grew, international buyers became more and more interested, with Italy, the UK and Belgium beginning to place orders, Russia, Australia and New Zealand following not too far behind.

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As the product line and market base grew, Benchmark began to reap the rewards of its hard work. 2005 saw the company\‘s Ticket Station win the AMOA Innovator Award for three patened devices and functions. The addition of this support machine, as well as Tickets to Prizes and Benchmark\‘s ticket dispenser, Intelli-Dual, is one of the company\‘s biggest moves yet - "the line allowed us to move with the industry deeper into redemption with our own in-house products" - but chief executive officer Kress doesn\‘t consider this as the company\‘s most significant moment.

"We have had several [significant moments] after the first hit, Roll For Gold including Big Haul, Drill-O-Matic, Wheel Deal and Slam-a-Winner. Moving our factory to our current location made our growth possible so that probably was the biggest contributing factor," he said.

Kress puts his business success down to dedication to the industry and to the operators. This dedication and commitment remains even after the sale of a machine has been completed, ensuring that customers continue to support the business. Benchmark also prides itself on a rock-solid manufacturing process to keep operators and players alike happy.

Success doesn\‘t happen overnight though and it can take a few months before any machine is proven to be popular, which is why it is necessary to have a constant stream of products in the pipeline. Benchmark\‘s experienced and creative game design team ensure that the company always has six to eight products under development.

"We always have new products planned, but only winners, that is the name of the game. We are very excited about what R&D has developed, is planned and is getting ready to release," said Kress.

Staying receptive to the changes of an industry is essential in order to stay ahead of the game, and the coin-op industry is no exception. Benchmark makes sure it keeps up to date with the latest trends by developing innovative and original redemption games and equipment.

"What we\‘re seeing in country after country is that gambling as we used to know is changing dramatically. Russia and Italy are prime examples. The redemption market has grown rapidly overseas and that is due to the decrease in gambling," said Kress.

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Well into its second decade of business and expansion, Benchmark Games has established a strong reputation in the amusement industry, keeping its focus on fun and never losing sight of the fact it is not the operator or distribuor who is the ultimate customer, but the player who puts money in to the cashbox.

In Benchmark\‘s experience, focusing its games on fun keeps players coming back for more, which is what the coin-op industry is all about.