Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for bowling and gaming centres.
A checklist built from how bowling and gaming centres work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Lane calendar and walk-in desk
- Online booking and party packages
- Play cards, credit and redemption tickets
- League and tournament nights
- Shoe hire and lane desk billing
- Arcade machine fault and service log
- Prize counter and kitchen stock
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For the centre owner
- At the lane desk
- For the league secretary
- For arcade technicians
- For party hosts and kitchen staff
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Lane hours sold and left empty by evening
- Takings by machine and by card top-up
- Redemption tickets issued against prizes handed out
- Faults per cabinet and repeat repairs
- League standings and lane fees outstanding
- Party deposits held and balances due
- Shoe pairs out by size and prize stock to reorder
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Card payment terminals
- Arcade card reader export
- Online booking page
- SMS and email
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Accounting export
- Receipt and label printer
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Is this made for bowling, or for general venue booking?
- Can we hold lanes for a league and still sell the rest online?
- How are game card balances kept?
- Can the cabinets report their own credits and faults?
- Can birthday party bills change after the deposit?
- How does the league secretary enter scores?
- Can staff log a machine fault from the floor?
- Can we move our current card balances and team lists?
- If we leave, who keeps the customer and league records?
- What does it cost for a centre with an arcade?
- When can the lane desk go live?
- What should the centre have on hand at the start?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Lanes are double sold
- Game card balances are not trusted
- Machine faults are found by customers
- League scores live in private spreadsheets
- Party deposits and food orders drift apart
Prefer to talk it through? See the bowling and gaming centres page.