Despite minimal federal legislation pending that would affect the industry, the AMOA wanted the opportunity to meet with their individual representatives and senators to establish positive relationships before any critical issues arose. The election of a Democratically-controlled Congress for the first time in years motivated the reestablishment of the function. One area of discussion was the Treasury Department’s continual redesign of paper currency. Each time there is a new currency issue, operators must finance the upgrading of their machines’ bill validators. They also stressed the need to further promote the new Presidential Dollar Coin series. The second in the U.S. Presidential $1 Coin series, honoring John Adams, America’s second president, was recently launched in his Quincy, Massachusetts hometown near Boston. The new coins are now being shipped to banks and other financial institutions.The first coin honored George Washington, and entered circulation last February. Mint officials believe that Americans are slowly realising the convenience of using a $1 coin in many transactions. However, it is a slow transition, and most of the real interest in the Presidential $1 Coins appears to come from coin collectors. Operators recommended the gradual elimination of the dollar bill would compel consumer to use the $1 dollar coins more frequently, but that suggestion met with resistance. While positive in theory, legislators and their aides acknowledged that there is no political upside to do it…Americans just like the dollar bill too much. As the Congress continues to prohibit Internet gambling in the U.S., amusement operators emphasized the need to exempt skill games in any future Internet gambling legislation.

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