SOUTHAMPTON'S AMF bowling centre is up for sale, along with 32 other sites across the UK.
One of Britain's biggest tenpin bowling companies, AMF's UK arm is estimated to be worth up to £50m.
No one was available to comment at the company's Hemel Hempstead headquarters but the news leaves a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the city's 26-lane Bitterne Road centre.
The AMF parent company, which operates around 500 bowling centres across the world, is thought to be trying to concentrate efforts on its core US business.
The chain recently announced earnings of £6.5m, of which nearly half is from gaming machines.
That is widely tipped to interest arcade operators RAL Holdings. Larry Kehoe, AMF's UK managing director, previously worked for RAL.
Other potential bidders include private investment firm Marwyn Investments.
AMF, originally American Machine and Foundry, was bought last year for £366m by private equity firm Code Hennessy and Simmons.
The company was created in New York in 1900 as a maker of industrial machinery and bowling equipment. It became an operator after clients defaulted on payments and allowed them to claim the assets.
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