AAMA Goes to Washington, Talks Tariffs & Much More

Replay Magazine·article·analyzed·Apr 3, 2026

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 (batch) · $0.006

TL;DR

AAMA lobbies Congress on tariffs, IP protection, and small-business operating costs

Summary

The AAMA (Amusement and Music Operators Association) conducted Congressional advocacy meetings addressing six key industry challenges: tariff volatility, IP violations and counterfeits, credit card processing fees, SBA 504 loan reforms, healthcare costs, and ICE enforcement impacts. The organization is planning a follow-up joint advocacy effort with AMOA in June.

Key Claims

Tariff fluctuations prevent factories from forecasting production and disproportionately impact small-business members who cannot absorb or negotiate costs like large retailers can
high confidence · AAMA official statement to Congress, reported in Replay Magazine
AAMA members invest millions in original hardware and software, with counterfeit games and knock-off components from overseas undermining the value of American-engineered products
high confidence · AAMA official statement to Congress, reported in Replay Magazine
Credit card swipe fees are a Top 10 operating cost in the low-margin amusement industry
high confidence · AAMA official statement to Congress, reported in Replay Magazine
SB 504 reforms reducing required SBA 504 downpayment from 15% to 10% for single-use venues could save members hundreds of thousands in upfront costs
high confidence · AAMA official statement to Congress, reported in Replay Magazine
Small group healthcare market premiums are projected to rise significantly in 2026, making it difficult for small amusement operators to retain talent
high confidence · AAMA official statement to Congress, reported in Replay Magazine
Aggressive ICE enforcement in hospitality zones is frightening even legal employees and authorized visa holders from showing up to work
high confidence · AAMA official statement to Congress, reported in Replay Magazine

Notable Quotes

“The whipsaw effect of fluctuating tariffs results in the inability for our factories to forecast future production.”
AAMA — Core business challenge affecting production planning and supply chain stability
“Large retailers can absorb or negotiate tariff costs; our small-business members cannot.”
AAMA — Highlights competitive disadvantage of small operators in the amusement industry
“In the low-margin amusement industry, credit card swipe fees are a Top 10 operating cost.”
AAMA — Identifies payment processing as a significant profit pressure point for operators
“While we support the rule of law, aggressive and highly visible ICE enforcement in hospitality zones is frightening even legal employees and authorized visa holders from showing up to work.”
AAMA — Illustrates labor market disruption caused by immigration enforcement tactics

Entities

AAMAorganizationAMOAorganizationAndy EloffpersonChris BradypersonDenise SeciapersonHoward McAuliffepersonReem AbeidohpersonRaw ThrillscompanyLAI GamescompanyRhode Island NoveltycompanyPinnacle Entertainment GroupcompanyParkway Lanescompany

Signals

?
industry_signal: AAMA members report tariff volatility prevents production forecasting; small operators cannot absorb or negotiate tariff costs like large retailers
high · Official AAMA Congressional testimony reported in Replay Magazine
?
industry_signal: AAMA reports millions in member investment in hardware and software undermined by overseas counterfeit games and knock-off components
high · Official AAMA Congressional testimony
?
business_signal: Credit card swipe fees identified as Top 10 operating cost in low-margin amusement industry; AAMA advocating for Credit Card Competition Act
high · Official AAMA Congressional testimony
?
business_signal: AAMA advocating for SB 504 reforms to reduce SBA 504 downpayment requirement from 15% to 10% for single-use venues to reduce upfront expansion costs
high · Official AAMA Congressional testimony
?
business_signal: AAMA reports small group healthcare premiums projected to rise significantly in 2026, creating barrier to talent retention in competitive hospitality labor market
high · Official AAMA Congressional testimony
?
operational_signal: AAMA reports aggressive ICE enforcement in hospitality zones is discouraging both legal employees and authorized visa holders from working, impacting staffing

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

Last month, AAMA members met with 10 Congressional offices as well as representatives from the House Ways and Means Committee to “share and seek solutions to several challenges facing the amusement industry.” AAMA reported that the meetings focused on several areas of concern: - Tariffs. The whipsaw eﬀect of fluctuating tariffs results in the inability for our factories to forecast future production. Tariffs also impact our U.S.-based suppliers and location owner/operators. Large retailers can absorb or negotiate tariff costs; our small-business members cannot. - IP Violations. Our members invest millions in original hardware and software. Without robust IP enforcement, counterfeit games and “knock-off” components from overseas undermine the value of American-engineered and manufactured products. - Pass the Credit Card Competition Act. In the low-margin amusement industry, credit card swipe fees are a Top 10 operating cost. Current “duopoly” pricing by major networks is a direct drain on local small businesses. - Pass SB 504. The proposed reforms to SBA 504 – particularly the reduction in the required downpayment from 15% to 10% for “single use venues” – could save our members hundreds of thousands in upfront costs when building or expanding. - Rising Costs of Health Care. Our members want to provide quality benefits to retain talent, but small group market premiums are projected to rise significantly again in 2026. In a competitive hospitality labor market, the inability of small amusement operators to afford high-quality health plans is a primary barrier to filling open managerial positions. - Aggressive ICE Enforcement. While we support the rule of law, aggressive and highly visible ICE enforcement in hospitality zones is frightening even legal employees and authorized visa holders from showing up to work. We urge a shift toward administrative compliance (like I-9 audits) rather than disruptive workplace raids that penalize legal business owners and create community-wide panic. Industry members who were a part of the meetings include Andy Eloff (Raw Thrills), Chris Brady (LAI Games), Denise Secia (Rhode Island Novelty), Howard McAuliffe (Pinnacle Entertainment Group), and Reem Abeidoh (Parkway Lanes). AAMA will head back to D.C. for a joint fly-in with AMOA members from June 8-10. Visit www.coin-op.org to register your interest in attending.