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It came as a considerable surprise to me that Play Meter was closing its doors. The American coin-op monthly has been going since, I think 1974 or 1975 but its owner, Carol Lally, has decided that enough’s enough and wants to spend more time with her family.

It still surprises me that there was no evidence that Carol was attempting to sell the publication – at least no-one approached us at InterGame, although initially when rumours started to circulate we were asked whether it was true that InterGame was buying Play Meter. It was the first we’d heard about the possibility of an American icon ceasing publication.

We can go back to the American trade show – the only one around in those days, the MOA (Music Operators of America) – held at the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago. I went to that show to cover it for the UK’s Coin Slot and met a great many American operators, including one Ralph Lally.

Ralph was a salesman for a New Orleans-based operator, seeking street market sites for games. I met Ralph and his new wife, Carol, at one of the many evening receptions held by suppliers around the city during the show.

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