Hey Billion, ever think about turning those dusty coin‑op classics into a new revenue stream? I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve, and I hear you’re great at spotting what sells.

Sure thing, buddy—first step: audit the machines, count the coins, and make a profit spreadsheet. Next, lease them to the hottest local arcade or host a retro‑night that pulls in the nostalgic crowd. If you’re feeling fancy, launch a Kickstarter for a restoration kit—people love buying a piece of history, and the pre‑orders cover the dust. Keep the numbers tight, and you’ll have cash rolling in faster than a Pac‑Man chomping pellets.

Okay, let’s crunch the numbers like we’re on a neon‑lit leaderboard. I’m guessing we’re talking a mid‑grade coin‑op like a Pac‑Man or Space Invaders set that cost you about $1,200 to buy and restore. You’ll keep the machine for maybe 10,000 plays a month, and if you price it at $0.25 per play, that’s $2,500 in gross revenue a month. Your overhead—electricity, maintenance, a quick wipe‑down per hour—runs about $300 a month. That leaves you with $2,200 in net profit. Your margin per machine is roughly 93% after costs. Now, the break‑even point: you paid $1,200 upfront, so at $2,200 a month you’ll break even in the first month, and the machine is basically “profit‑positive” from the start. If you’re dealing with 10 machines, you’re looking at $22,000 a month, $2,200 break‑even per machine, and that’s a solid quick win—just make sure you keep the queue moving.

Ten thousand plays a month is about 333 a day. If we run the arcade 10 hours a night that’s roughly 33 plays an hour, or one every 2 minutes. That’s a pretty steady flow—if a machine jams, we can swap in a backup in a minute or two, and we keep the queue moving. For downtime I’d keep a spare set on standby and schedule a quick 10‑minute check at the top of every hour, so a jam won’t stop the cash register. To scale, we can lease each set to a second location after the first two months of steady play, and use the same 10‑hour model. Every new unit adds roughly the same 33 plays a day, so 20 units would be about 600 plays a day, 12,000 a month. Marketing wise, we’ll run a “coin‑back” promo: every $25 spent gives you a $1 voucher for the next arcade night. That turns nostalgia into immediate cash back, and it keeps people coming back. If you’re okay with that plan, we’re ready to spin the reels.