uWink in conjuction with Medalist Corp, have successfully staged the first live tournament which took place at the Flamingo Hotel Casino in Reno, Nevada, January 18th – 20th. The live tournament, in which 600 players competed for $25,000.00 in cash prizes, is a first for the world of coin-op.
"It was truly exciting to see the intensity of the crowd," said Todd Cravens, uWink's Executive VP of Operations. "Touchscreen play is a riveting spectator sport. We were amazed at how few of the dart players had played touchscreen games prior to this event. By the end of the tournament several hundred of them had signed up to become Club Wink members."
With free entry, players were matched head to head in a single elimination tournament consisting of matches of 2 out of 3 games. $2,500.00 was awarded to the 1st place winner, $1,700.00 to 2nd, $1,200.00 to 3rd and 4th, $800.00 to 5th through 8th, $500.00 to 9th through 16th, $300.00 to 17th to 32nd, and $200.00 to 33rd to 64th.
Jesse Sechak, an operator who won 1st prize, used his winnings as a down payment on 3 uWink terminals. "Thank you for putting on such a great event, I loved it!" declared Sechak. "I think uWink games are the best games on the street. The variety and quality of the many different games is super.....I was a beginner to this game until this tournament, and now I will only play on uWink games."
"The excitement level for both spectators and participants alike in Reno equaled or exceeded that of any other tournaments in the coin-op industry," announced Lee Peppard, CEO of Medalist Corp. "This tournament was proof that live body matched play tournaments are an integral part of a promotion program for countertop play. It also proved that reasonable parity, i.e., equal opportunity for all players, can be created by live body matched play. Clearly, live body tournaments are a continued part of uWink's future."
For more information about uWink please visit their
website or their highwaygames
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