Fever Pitch: Electrocoin raises the temperature with Football Champ and Pokemon Pinball pulling in the crowds

You’d think Electrocoin would be looking to talk about anything but football as their beloved Arsenal have been faltering in the Premier League Championship race these past few weeks. But not so at Park Avenue where Electrocoin are already Champs it seems. Their Football Champ machine is on top form and there’s a new star signing for the summer - Pokemon Pinball. John Stergides Snr discusses his team’s winning formula as he trots out his stars at the ARE Expo next week.

Coinslot: It’s been a tough start to the year both economically and on the regulatory front. What are you hoping to get from the two days in Manchester and what will the main topics of debate be about?

John Stergides Snr: Hopefully operators would have had a good Easter and will be looking towards the Summer period for new games. Shows like ARE are so important for the industry. It’s an opportunity to meet existing clients and friends but also to meet new ones who may 
not be able to make it to the London shows. 

Coinslot: In terms of product, what innovations and new launches will visitors be seeing on your stand next week? 

John Stergides Snr: We will be showing the new Football Champ which is proving to be very popular with operators and players. It’s on arcade floors just in time for the World Cup year and this year operators must have a game. We are taking forward orders in time for Whitsun, such has been the demand for the game. 

Alongside Football Champ, we also have the Big Wheel prize game which is proving to be a very popular option especially with exciting brightly lit cabinet and simple gameplay. 

We will also be showing for the first time, the new Stern Pinball Pokemon Pinball at the ARE Show. It has been air freighted specifically for the show. There has been an unprecedented interest and demand for the latest Stern Pinball game, which is possibly the biggest licence in the world. 

As usual we’ll be taking some of the other exciting line-up of Prize and Ticket redemption games to Manchester like, the Spinning Cyclone, Twin Star, Ticket Fiesta Plus and Golden X Prize.

Coinslot: We’re now into the second quarter of 2026, what have been the highlights of the year so far in terms of business development and product launches? 

John Stergides Snr: For us, Big Wheel has been going from strength to strength since we launched it and its popularity is rising. There’s no surprise that Football Champ has had a 
strong demand as it coincides nicely with the World Cup year. And being football loving country, it’s a game that will continue to be popular after the World Cup.  

The anticipation for the new Konami Dance game, DDR Universal has been great as we wait for the first shipments to land.  And finally but not least, operators are excited at the 
prospect for Stern’s new pinball title Pokémon. I know I’ve said it already, but you cannot overstate how huge a licence this is - which explains why there has been more locations 
looking to add it to their shop floor including comic book shops/TCGs. 

Coinslot: Looking at the market forces and the somewhat erratic signs regarding 
movement on the Gambling Review, how do you feel about the proposed changes in legislation and what the industry needs to realise the growth we need moving forward?

John Stergides Snr: I’ve made my views on this very clear over the past few years and I will continue to do so next week and at our own Park Avenue gathering on June 3. Let’s see if any changes happen as it seems to be in constant discussion.

But we must remember that changes are desperately needed to increase innovation and to help improve the offering for players. And all the parties involved in driving the GAR forward need to keep this uppermost in their minds. Coinslot noted last week that it’s been seven years since the plan to modernise gambling legislation was put on the table.

And it also stated, that’s far too long to keep consulting on modernisation. There’s a strong danger that it won’t feel very modern by the time it all gets put in place.

 

Coinslot - Apr 24 - Apr 30, 2026 - Issue No 2990 - Page 42