"We are very aggressively, as a company, focusing on the Caribbean and Central American markets"

What products are you presenting here in Aruba, for the local and the regional market?
Obviously this is the fist time Bally is attending this show, and one of the primary reasons why we are attending this event was because we are very aggressively, as a company, focusing on the Caribbean and Central American markets. We are having a tremendous amount of success with our Alpha Elite S9E stepper product, and we are also having an incredible amount of success with the V32 Cabinet, which is a 32-inch Monitor. This product is performing extremely well not only in Aruba but worldwide: in South America, Asia, US. Every time we enter a new market, we try to enter with three or four different cabinet styles with three or four of the best titles we have to offer, and those cabinets establishing a relationship and a foundation by which to grow our business. And for example in Aruba, we’ve entered with our Power Strike five-reel progressive slots, in which the top-level jackpot can be configured as a currency value or a high-value prize, such as a car, boat, motorcycle and vacation. These are doing extremely well in the island.

We’ve also entered with our V32 vertical upright cabinet and now we’re starting to enter with products such our standalone roulette, which is another product style in the same cabinet. And the same goes to other markets in the region as well. We take the same tactics and the same strategy. We’ve also introduced the Treasure Series, which is a concept that is growing within free games. So, as you are in free games and you are receiving the bonus feature, you have the ability to win additional free games with a high volatility. So we are very excited about the direction we are taking with our video products.

Talking about the international economic crisis, Do you have a special strategy for Latin America on the matter?
My personal view on the crisis is that, because Latin America and the banking sector within the Latin American markets, was not as closely tied to the US or European banking industry, we’re not seeing the same level of economic impact, for example, in the Caribbean or in South America, as we are seeing in parts of Europe, North America and part of Africa, for example. So although we are definitely hearing from our customers that there are some types of impact, generally speaking, we’re still seeing growth and purchasing coming from our customers, in this part of the world. I may also add that even in those areas that are impacted by the economy the most, like Europe, Eastern Europe and North America, many of our customers are using this opportunity to buy more products; to differentiate themselves from their competitors so when we do come out from the economic crisis, their floor is more fresh, so their ability to take the lead and their advantages will be greater. And what better place to invest in a company you have right now than in a machine or a system, because the return is immediate, rather than investing, perhaps, in a restaurant, or in a hotel, or in your amenities. I think finally, the advantage that Bally has, is that in a lot of places, a lot of the market is international, the percentage of the floor that Bally has is, somehow, smaller than our competitors, but Bally was not, as probably, internationally, for the past ten years as it is today, so when a casino is going to make a purchase because Bally is performing well, we tend to get a much larger percentage of the capital than our competitors. I expect Bally will continue to grow and perform well.

What do you think about the show?
Well, I think, like any new show, there are challenges in building the customer base, and momentum in the industry, especially when there are a number of shows around the world that we have today. At least for Bally, it has been an incredibly opportunity for us to build relationships and introduce our products to the Aruba market, and the other countries that attended, which perhaps we have not had the opportunity to show our product lines in Las Vegas or in some of the other shows around Latin America. Because they weren’t able to attend or they aren’t able to go to G2E show. This is a way for Bally to come to our customers, to the show has been very positive for us. We’ve been able to generate a lot of business in the past 48 hours of the show; much more than I anticipated. And the feedback of the operators, which is also important, has been very positive. They are happy seeing Bally paying attention to this part of the world and to take the time to understand their concerns and how we can be a better supplier.

I also think the first forum was very interesting. It was nice to see operators from Chile, and from other places, that do business with Bally. I think it was very well organized, very professional, and I think the quality of people that attended was people interested in doing business. And because of that, from my perspective, we are very satisfied with the show and the amount of business we’ve generated. Many times, smaller shows tend to generate more opportunities and create a more personal atmosphere between Bally and our customers.

Are you going to attend to Panama or Colombia shows?
We have the intention to attend the Colombia show. I will be attending with some people from our Bally team. We’ll have a booth there and we’ll also be attending the show in Mexico City, where we also have a booth, but we will not be exhibiting in Panama, however I do plan on sending some of our international sales team to the show to make sure we continue to support our customers.