[2] As of September 2019, Lucky Strike Entertainment Corporation is also the parent company of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA).

[3][4] The company's main bowling center brands in the United States include the namesake Lucky Strike Lanes (which the then-Bowlero Corporation acquired in 2023)[5], Bowlero, the upscale Bowlmor Lanes, and the legacy AMF Bowling brand.

Additionally, many bowling center owners had shifted their focus to casual bowlers, who bowled at non-discounted prices and spent more on food and beverage, and to special events, which produce substantial revenue and introduce new customers to the center.

[6][7] When Bowlmor Lanes purchased its first center in 1997 to renovate and upscale it, league bowling was eliminated "to ease out regulars who did not cotton to the fancy trappings or the higher prices.

The new company was jointly owned by Bowlmor, certain of AMF Bowling's second lien lenders including an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, and Credit Suisse.

At the time of the merger, the merged company operated 272 bowling centers and had 7,500 employees and a combined annual revenue of approximately $450 million.

AMF's first lien lenders received payment in full, in cash, of principal, interest at the non-default rate, and their fees.

Some cited a Bloomberg TV interview in which CEO Tom Shannon said, "I don’t think anyone takes bowling seriously – why would you?

"[12] Concern grew when Bowlmor AMF significantly cut the operating hours at many centers as a financial measure, and in the process, displaced or eliminated some daytime bowling leagues.

By April 2017, it was facing more than 50 discrimination complaints filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), from employees who claimed to have been terminated for their age or appearance.

[21] In June 2017, private equity firm Atairos Group paid in excess of $1 billion to acquire Bowlmor AMF from its previous investors, with Shannon continuing to hold his "significant investment.