services, 14,000 for banking, and 3,000 businesses for Super Mario Club. Even after the resolution of stability problems with the NTT's network launch, the Famicom Network System's market presence was considered "weak" for its whole lifetime for various reasons: product usability; competition from personal computers and other appliances; and the difficult nature of early adoption by the technologically unsavvy financial customer. Many found it just as easy to do transactions by traditional means, and the total home networking market was very small because people didn't want to rewire their house for their television or to have their telephone line occupied. Uemura stated that the system's most popular application was ultimately home-based betting on horse racing, with a peak of 100,000 Famicom Modem units used and capturing 35% of Japan's fanatical online horse betting market even among diverse competition from PCs and from dedicated horse betting network terminal appliances. Legacy Wanting to replicate and expand upon the progress seen with the Famicom Modem in Japan, Nintendo of America began a series of open announcements in mid-1989 to describe its private talks with AT&T over the prospect of launching an information network service in America in 1990. The plans never materialized. A modem for NES was tested in the United States by the Minnesota State Lottery. It would have allowed players to buy scratchcards and play the lottery with their NES at home. It was not released in the United States because some parents and legislators voiced concern that minors might learn to play the lottery illegally and anonymously, regardless of assurances from Nintendo to the contrary. Internet-based gambling was banned in Minnesota. Online content would later be delivered to Nintendo's customers via the Super Famicom's Satellaview peripheral. Masayuki Uemura, lead designer of the Famicom Modem at Nintendo Research & Development 2, said: "Our experiences with the Famicom Modem triggered Nintendo's entrance into the satellite data broadcasting market in April, 1995". See also 64DD's Japan-based dialup Internet service called Randnet, from December 1999 to February 2001 Nintendo Entertainment System's Teleplay Modem Famicom Disk System Atari 2600's GameLine Intellivision's PlayCable Sega Genesis's Sega Channel XBAND Super Famicom's Satellaview References External links The Famicom Modem Nintendo Entertainment System accessories Online video game services Japan-only video game hardware 1980s toys Joint ventures Products introduced in 1988 Video game console add-ons Video game storage media Discontinued products