# Bowl Expo Concludes; Back to Vegas in 2027

**Source:** Replay Magazine  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-07-03  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.replaymag.com/bowl-expo-concludes-back-to-vegas-in-2027/

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## Analysis

Bowl Expo 2024 in Nashville exceeded expectations with attendance up 25% over recent years, marking a return to pre-COVID levels. The event featured new coin-op debuts including Stranger Things (Raw Thrills), Hello Kitty crane (UNIS), JET Games machines, and Crabzilla Strikes (Elaut Group). The 2027 Bowl Expo will return to the Westgate in Las Vegas.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Bowl Expo 2024 attendance was up more than 25% over the last few years — _Frank DeSocio, BPAA executive director, as reported by RePlay Magazine_
- [HIGH] Bowl Expo 2024 attendance returned to pre-COVID levels — _Frank DeSocio, BPAA executive director, as reported by RePlay Magazine_
- [MEDIUM] Exhibitors reported attendees were in a buying mood — _Multiple exhibitors quoted during RePlay's event coverage_
- [HIGH] JET Games' On the Level is their first machine built entirely in-house in Daytona, Florida — _RePlay Magazine event coverage_
- [HIGH] Bowl Expo 2027 will be held at the Westgate in Las Vegas from June 29-July 1 — _RePlay Magazine reporting on BPAA announcement_

### Notable Quotes

> "up more than 25% over the last few years"
> — **Frank DeSocio**
> _Official confirmation of strong post-pandemic recovery in bowl/coin-op industry attendance_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Bowl Expo | event | Annual bowling and coin-op industry trade show; 2024 edition held in Nashville, 2027 planned for Las Vegas |
| Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center | venue | Host venue for Bowl Expo 2024 in Nashville |
| BPAA | organization | Bowling and Pinball Arcade Association (implied); Frank DeSocio serves as executive director |
| Frank DeSocio | person | Executive director of BPAA; reported on Bowl Expo 2024 attendance and results |
| Raw Thrills | company | Coin-op/arcade game manufacturer; debuted Stranger Things attraction at Bowl Expo 2024 |
| Stranger Things | product | Sizable arcade attraction from Raw Thrills debuted at Bowl Expo 2024 |
| UNIS | company | Arcade game manufacturer; debuted Hello Kitty 31-inch crane at Bowl Expo 2024 |
| Hello Kitty | product | 31-inch crane machine from UNIS debuted at Bowl Expo 2024 |
| JET Games | company | Arcade game manufacturer based in Daytona, Florida; debuted three machines at Bowl Expo 2024, including On the Level |
| On the Level | product | Arcade machine from JET Games; first machine built entirely in-house by the company |
| Crabzilla Strikes | product | 2-player coin pusher from Elaut Group debuted at Bowl Expo 2024 |
| Elaut Group | company | Coin-op manufacturer; debuted Crabzilla Strikes at Bowl Expo 2024 |
| Westgate | venue | Las Vegas venue selected for Bowl Expo 2027 |
| RePlay Magazine | organization | Trade publication covering coin-op and arcade industry; covered Bowl Expo 2024 event |

### Signals

- **[event_signal]** Bowl Expo 2024 attendance exceeded pre-COVID levels with 25% growth, indicating strong recovery in bowling/coin-op venue industry post-pandemic (confidence: high) — Frank DeSocio reported attendance was 'back to pre-COVID levels' and 'up more than 25% over the last few years'; multiple exhibitors noted strong buying behavior
- **[market_signal]** Exhibitors reported attendees were in a buying mood, suggesting strong demand for new coin-op and arcade products (confidence: medium) — Multiple exhibitors reported that 'folks seemed to be in a buying mood' during Bowl Expo 2024
- **[product_launch]** Multiple new arcade and coin-op machines debuted at Bowl Expo 2024, including attraction games and specialty machines (confidence: high) — Raw Thrills Stranger Things, UNIS Hello Kitty crane, JET Games trio, and Elaut Group Crabzilla Strikes announced
- **[manufacturing_signal]** JET Games achieved first fully in-house machine production milestone with On the Level (confidence: high) — On the Level described as 'their first build entirely in-house in Daytona, Florida'

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## Transcript

This year’s Bowl Expo at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville surpassed expectations and was back to “pre-Covid” attendance, reported the BPAA’s executive director, Frank DeSocio. He said they were up more than 25% over the last few years. Exhibitors, too, noticed the marked difference from the other post-2020 shows. It was a major topic of conversation among nearly all the booths RePlay stopped at during our coverage of the event. Many reported that folks seemed to be in a buying mood as well. Several new products in the coin-op world were debuted. Among them were a sizable Stranger Things attraction (Raw Thrills); Hello Kitty (a 31” crane from UNIS); a trio of machines from JET Games, including On the Level, their first build entirely in-house in Daytona, Florida; and Crabzilla Strikes, a 2-player coin pusher from Elaut Group. We will have a full report and photos in our August issue. The 2027 Bowl Expo will be heading to a familiar space in Las Vegas – the Westgate – from June 29-July 1. Learn more at www.bowlexpo.com.

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v5)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: eb3b8c92-57d1-4b2e-8ccf-d142041f2a32*