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Home / Stratford Press

Players already rushing to claim prizes at new arcade in New Plymouth

Ilona Hanne
By Ilona Hanne
News director Lower North Island communities·Stratford Press·
29 Jun, 2021 09:00 PM4 mins to read

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Lennon Turner, store manager at Play2Win in New Plymouth, has a go at one of the many games on offer in the arcade. Photo / Ilona Hanne

Lennon Turner, store manager at Play2Win in New Plymouth, has a go at one of the many games on offer in the arcade. Photo / Ilona Hanne

A new gaming arcade in Taranaki has given away three PS5s in under a week, but there's no need to panic, there are plenty more to be won, says the arcade's owner.

Nick Azevedo opened his new gaming arcade, Play2WIn, in Devon St East's Top Town complex below Event Cinemas on Friday, June 18, and five days later the arcade's top prize of a Sony PlayStation 5 had been claimed by three winners, with the last one being won on Wednesday afternoon last week.

Nick says while the initial ones rushed out the door, gamers were going to have to work a bit harder to win one in the future.

"We ran an opening special, where the amount of tickets needed to claim a PS5 was just 50,000 tickets which is half the amount they will normally be available at."

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He has more PS5s in stock and ready to be won, with 100,000 tickets required to take one home.

Bikes aren't just for the boys - there are games to suit all interests and ages at the new arcade. Photo / Ilona Hanne
Bikes aren't just for the boys - there are games to suit all interests and ages at the new arcade. Photo / Ilona Hanne

Nick is based in Palmerston North, where he and his partner own and operate Cloud 9 Trampoline Park, which has a family arcade as part of it.

"I have been in the arcade business for years now, originally back in the UK and now here in New Zealand. I love it, the appeal is timeless, people of all ages enjoy having a bit of fun in an arcade."

Opening Play2win in New Plymouth was a case of seeing an opportunity and taking it, he says.

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"I was in New Plymouth catching up with friends. They were running late so I was just walking around and having a bit of a look. I saw the empty shop in the complex under the movie theatre and thought it was the perfect location for an arcade. I called the agent who had the listing that day, and had signed the lease within a week. There was a bit of serendipity to it all really, if I hadn't gone for that walk, I wouldn't have seen the space."

Nick chooses the games and machines for the arcade from all over the world.

"The majority come from the USA, but we also have ones from Europe, China and Australia. There aren't any companies who make them in New Zealand unfortunately."

Choosing a machine is part science, and part a case of a gut feel, he says.

"Some I know will be popular because they are classic ones that have done well elsewhere, while others I just get a feeling they will be popular. It's a bit of a gamble at times, but everyone seems to be enjoying the ones we have here, and we've had no complaints."

When it comes to picking prizes, Nick is also hands-on.

"Things like the PS5s of course I know are going to go well, but it's important we have prizes at all levels, so kids can easily win something. Our smallest prizes can be claimed with just 100 tickets."

Being on top of current trends in toys and characters is key to picking great prizes, he says.

"Things like Minions, fidget toys, Pokemon, they are all popular. We have some great fidget popper wristbands coming later this year which are likely to be sought-after by our younger gamers."

Olivia Crofskey was a happy customer at the arcade, clutching armfuls of tickets. Photo / Ilona Hanne
Olivia Crofskey was a happy customer at the arcade, clutching armfuls of tickets. Photo / Ilona Hanne

To play the games, people need a small plastic card that is loaded up with credit. They can then choose to collect either physical tickets or points which are loaded onto their card.

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"The card lasts forever, so you don't have to choose a prize that day, you can save them up and keep aiming for a bigger prize if you want."

Tatjana Hanne has a go at winning some tickets. Photo / Ilona Hanne
Tatjana Hanne has a go at winning some tickets. Photo / Ilona Hanne

"We want to encourage people to look after their card, which is why we don't just give them out free of charge, but 100 per cent of the $1 people pay for that card doesn't go to our profits. We will donate all the money from the purchase of the cards to local schools, so the money goes back to the community. It is similar to a school donation scheme that we operate at Cloud 9."

Your chance to win

PLay2Win has generously given us a card pre-loaded with $65 of credit ready to be played. If you would like to enter the draw to win it, simply email editor@stratfordpress.co.nz with the words Play2Win in the subject line and include your name and contact details. This competition closes at noon on Thursday, July 8 and the winner will be contacted that afternoon.

Keep an eye out for more Play2Win giveaways in our kids' page in the coming months and make sure you "like" the Hits Taranaki Facebook page, which is going to offer another chance to win an awesome Play2Win prize as well.

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