H. Betti Industries, Inc. was founded by Humbert Betti Sr. in 1934 when the Greenwich Village restaurateur and tavern owner started operating jukeboxes in his own business and other nearby taverns. Humbert was already something of an international success; the South American native was raised in Italy and emigrated as a young man to England, where he launched a successful chain of ice cream parlors and raised a family (including two daughters and four sons who worked in the business, Bert, Hugh, Eddie, and Louis) with his wife, Catherine.
Once launched, the jukebox operation also thrived. The family transitioned from running the restaurant and bar to operating jukeboxes and amusement equipment in other locations, primarily in New York City and New Jersey. At its height, the Betti route had over 7,000 pieces of equipment on the street.
When Humbert Betti Sr. retired in the 1950s, he returned to Italy, leaving his son Bert in charge of the route. During that same period, H. Betti & Sons, as the company was known at the time, also began supplying components, including slate, for bumper and six-pocket pool tables. The new division was known as Eastern Novelty, and Humbert’s relationship with several Italian slate quarries significantly aided its efforts. Eastern Novelty is now known as Imperial, which supplies various billiard and game room goods to consumers, including items branded for NFL, MLB, and NHL.
By the late 1950s, the family had begun distributing equipment, initially handling the Fisher pool table line and later games from Midway, Chicago Coin, and other manufacturers. The newly christened Betson also took on Rock-Ola jukeboxes as a sub-distributor for another dealer.
For the next 60 years, Betson Distributing grew across the country, becoming the dominant distributor in the amusement industry. Betson has experienced steady growth, primarily through the acquisition of other dealers, including Runyon Sales (New Jersey), Portale Automatic (California), Eastern Music (Pennsylvania), and Spirit Distributing (Texas). Betson has also grown by establishing new offices in various locales around the U.S., including New England, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, and Utah. Today, Betson covers most of the U.S. in one way or another.
Along the way, Betson has also forged partnerships to offer products from arcade game developers like Elaut, Chicago Gaming, and Raw Thrills/PlayMechanix. As a leading North American arcade and vending equipment distributor, Betson has exclusive distribution partnerships with Cafection office coffee parts. H. Betti Industries’ family of companies also includes HB Home, a pool and billiards retailer.
