Football Champ, DDR World and Pokemon Pinball led the line for Electrocoin at ARE

Football fever hit the Electrocoin stand at ARE with Football Champ making a timely appearance at the Manchester show. With the World Cup on the horizon, John Stergides Snr clearly has high hopes for the game, as he does the ARE Expo. 

‘Well organised’ and with ‘the positives to attract visitors’ from other sectors, Stergides believes ARE has momentum. He talks to Coinslot about the show and how Electrocoin are lining up for the summer.

Coinslot: It was the second edition of the ARE Expo last week. How would you rate ARE 2026 and what were the highlights? 

John Stergides Snr: My opinion was that the show was well organised. And equally important for the type of show that is different than a full scale exhibition, it has the 
positives to attract a selection of visitors from the gambling sector.  That was so important this year as a number of those from the amusements industry would have been occupied by the preparations of the May holidays, and also preparation for UDC’s ECAS show which is only a few days away.  I’m hoping next year ARE will be around the 20th of the month or a couple of weeks after Easter as that would bring a bit more space in the calendar for visitors. 

Coinslot: There has been a very positive vibe around the show since its launch. Did it deliver good footfall and business opportunities and did the show bring the industry together at a last selling point before the summer season gets into gear?  

John Stergides Snr: I think that’s the strength of the ARE show since it launched: it delivers both - and at a vital time for the industry.  It brought good business opportunities and it also brought the industry together in a more relax atmosphere. 

Coinslot: You have given strong backing to ARE particularly with the quality of product you took to Manchester. Talk us through some of the crowd pulling innovations in your portfolio? 

John Stergides Snr:  We had on our booth a top quality product that is the most appropriate for this time and this year. Our leading game, Football Champ, is already 
an arcade favourite and its potential is enormous as the World Cup closes in. We all know that when the tournament starts to dominate the TV schedules, everyone loves to get involved in one way or another. And Football Champ is a game which the whole family can play or watch.

We also had the Big Wheel on display - a game of skill with prizes with carnival sounds to please all ages from 3 years to 93. It’s based on the traditional big wheel found on all funfairs and other establishments and has the whole fair allure. 

Spinning Cyclone, Ticket Fiesta Plus and the big egg prize crane - Golden X Prize - also drew a great deal of attention. Sadly, due to shipping delays - for obvious reasons - we did not have the latest and most advanced dancing game DDR WORLD which is the latest KONAMI DDR. It has more songs, a larger monitor and new ways of playing steps, so it’s a game that will last and prove to be popular for many years to come - which is the standard set by all the KONAMI DDRs.  We also showed the Twin Star mini crane and finally debuted the new Stern Pokemon Pinball.

Coinslot: Were there any notable wins from the two days - new agreements, installations, partnerships? 

John Stergides Snr: We had our share of wins, notably to supply games mainly to FECs and other single side operators. We we were expecting more but we are certainly happy with what we achieved.

Coinslot: ARE delivered an interesting array of seminars and the Bacta North West Region were there in force as were licensing officials who joined the GBG on their High Street Hub. The threat to Aim to Permit was a key talking point, but what were you keen to discuss on the broader level? 

John Stergides Snr: We did not have the opportunity to attend or get involved with the seminars or other events, but we know visitors who attended those were very satisfied. But it’s true to say that the industry has a lot to talk about, not least the slow pace of change and the continued restriction on stakes and prizes which is seriously halting investment in our industry.

 

Coinslot - May 8 - May 14, 2026 - Issue No 2992 - Page 24