Amusement Connect Receives Equity Investment from Periscope Equity

The company plans to use the funds to speed up new product development, improve its sales and marketing in the U.S., expand into new types of venues, and begin growing in international markets.

Amusement Connect was co-founded by industry veteran Frank Licausi and automotive executive and engineer John Tarpley, who saw an underserved market in route operators and small family entertainment centers. Based in Kansas City, the company now serves more than 800 customers and over 3,000 locations, including arcades, bowling centers, skating rinks, bar-cades, and restaurants.

Amusement Connect offers an award-winning cashless payment system that combines modern hardware with cloud-based software, including card readers, kiosks, POS systems, redemption tools, analytics, and mobile payment features.

The platform helps venue operators simplify operations, improve the guest experience, and increase revenue. It stands out for fast installation, easy-to-use software, competitive pricing, and US based customer support, making it a popular choice for route operators and entertainment venues across the country.

The company’s latest product, MobileMech, is a low-cost mobile payment device that brings digital payments to older coin-operated machines, opening new opportunities in small and unattended venues.

“I’ve known and partnered with Frank and John for a long time and believe they are incredible industry leaders with a passion for innovation and serving all customers in the space,” said Chairman of AMI Entertainment Mike Maas. “As a longtime amusement industry leader, I’m excited to team up with Frank and John in this new capacity, as well as the Periscope team, to be a part of the next chapter.”

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“As a longtime route operator and family entertainment center owner, I saw a clear market opportunity,” said Amusement Connect Co-Founder Frank Licausi. “Route Operators and smaller FECs couldn’t access the technology systems that larger FECs had, resulting in owners leaving revenue on the table and struggling to maximize profitability for their venues. John and I set out to bridge the gap and drive innovation in specialty payment solutions for the entire amusement industry, and we’re excited to say we’ve made an impact. We’re proud of what we’ve created, and we’re thrilled to have Periscope’s support in our next chapter.”

“Looking ahead, this partnership is about accelerating what we build for our customers,” continued Amusement Connect Co-Founder John Tarpley. “We have spent the last several years engineering an award-winning cashless platform — from our card readers and kiosks to our cloud-based software and our new MobileMech device. Periscope gives us the resources to push product innovation even further and faster. Our customers will see the benefit in better tools, more features, and the same dependable U.S.-based support they count on every day.”

“John and Frank have already established Amusement Connect as a trusted leader in payment solutions for the amusement industry nationwide, and we see tremendous global potential,” said Periscope Principal Joe McIlhattan. “The business checks every box in Periscope's mandate: founder-led, tech-enabled, mission-critical to its customers, and offers a wide variety of achievable value creation levers. We're proud to back a company with such a strong reputation for innovation and customer service, and we are excited for the growth ahead.”

About Amusement Connect

Founded in 2017 by John Tarpley and Frank Licausi, Amusement Connect is a US based cashless payment platform for entertainment venues, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. The company serves family entertainment centers, arcades, bowling alleys, skating rinks, bar cades and restaurants. Its system combines modern hardware with cloud software, including card readers, kiosks, POS tools, redemption management, analytics and mobile payments to simplify operations and improve the guest experience.

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