‘Charge It’ at the Soda Machine

USA Entertainment Center Inc. will roll out vending machines that use charge cards instead of coins, a company official said last week.

Keith Sterling, executive vice president, said the company will initially place 155 machines on golf courses in Florida before marketing them in other states.

The first product will be the Golfer’s Oasis, consisting of the company’s SMART Beer Machine and a SMART Soft Drink Machine.

The machines will take four cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover.

Sterling said the company, which recently completed a private stock offering of about $1 million, expects to hold an initial public offering in the fall.