“Bally will show nearly 300 games in the second largest booth of G2E”

What are your expectations for G2E 2011?
G2E is one of the most fun weeks of the year for anybody in gaming. We’ll get to show off our latest innovations, and we’ll get to see what all of our competitors have been up to over the past year. We will be showing off nearly 300 games in the second largest booth at the show. We are also adding a mobile applications area this year since Bally just acquired MacroView Labs, the biggest supplier of mobile apps to the gaming industry.

The focus of our exhibit will be on showcasing innovations that offer highly entertaining experiences to casino players, while delivering a strong return-on-investment to operators. We are unveiling some new world-class licensed brands, lots of new and compelling game content, several trailblazing play mechanics, and new floor-wide bonusing applications that deliver a truly differentiated experience across the casino floor on any touch-screen-enabled game cabinets.

The games highlight of our 15,000-square-foot booth will be our newest branded games: Michael Jackson King of Pop and Grease, as well as our new Pro Curve library line-up, which is a must-see at the show.  The highlight in the Systems areas will be our Elite Bonusing Suite (EBS) applications and seeing how we create floor-wide player experiences with our casino partners.

What will the company's participation consist of?
In addition to the branded games I just mentioned, we’ll have plenty to showcase.  The launch of our family of five Pro Series cabinets was a big milestone for Bally last year. The Pro family has been well received by customers and now our teams can focus 100 percent of their efforts on the software side of the business. At the end of the day, it’s all about providing new compelling content and increasing the experiences for casino guests.  The Pro Series platform has changed the way our developers design  products and it shows in our content, the richness and detail in our graphics, and ultimately, improved performance on the casino floor. We’re launching a deep library of core for-sale game content for our Pro Series cabinets − exciting times at Bally. Visitors to our G2E booth will see many of these games and new play mechanics in action.

Our first-to-market Pro Curve cabinet has been a game changer.  This cabinet is the only one in the industry to emulate spinning-reel play in a video slot with a curved high-definition LCD screen. We’ll be showing 17 Pro Curve titles at G2E with four new play mechanics like Big Bang Free Games, Rolling Wilds, and Breakthrough Free Games. 

On the systems side, the growth of iVIEW DM globally has been tremendous; we just recently announced an enterprise-wide contract to provide iVIEW DM to Caesars Entertainment, the world’s largest casino operator. iVIEW DM, a player-user-interface on the game display (similar to picture-in- picture on your TV), provides a compelling self-service interface for players. And when combined with our nine bonus events in the Elite Bonusing Suite, it enables casinos to change the player experience through dynamic floor-wide promotions and events.

Our iDeck continues to evolve at a rapid pace. As the industry’s only 100 percent touch-screen button deck, it gives players greater interaction with the game and it means operators no longer have to change button decks. It’s been well received by players and operators, and we couldn’t be happier with its performance. This year at G2E we’ll be showing off the next level of interaction that allows players to spin things, throw things, roll things, and shoot things from the iDeck up to the main screen. There’s even a game called All That Jazz that enables players to play virtual piano keys on the iDeck on our Pro V32 platform.  It’s a great new experience for players, and the levels of entertainment continue to evolve.

Do you believe that the change of date and venue will be beneficial?
Bally Technologies was a strong supporter of this change. It helps spread out the two biggest shows in the industry (G2E and IGE), and helps customers with the timing of their buying decisions. It will definitely elevate the entertainment factor as the new location is right on the Las Vegas Strip in the heart of the gaming world.  It is within walking distance of some of the best casino resorts in Las Vegas.  We’re thrilled to be at the Sands Expo this year and excited that our booth is bigger than ever.

How did you see the global gaming industry during this year?
It’s an exciting year for us. Bally has been aggressively expanding into Canada, and recently opened an office in Toronto. We have been selected as the preferred vendor in system procurements for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and British Columbia Lottery Corporation to replace their Class III Gaming Management Systems. That’s exciting news for us. 

At the same time, our recent enterprise-wide agreement with Caesars will introduce players across North America – and all over the globe – to an enhanced player experience through our iVIEW DM.

Washington continues to be an important market for us and we are keeping a close eye on several states, such as Illinois, that should move forward with gaming programs in the next year. It’s definitely an exciting time for our company.

Outside of North America, we have re-launched into the Australia market, and are providing games and systems solutions for Italy’s new VLT market starting this November. Both Australia and Italy are key growth markets for Bally, as well as Mexico and Latin America, where our products are performing extremely well.

The economy is challenging, but we’re starting to see more casinos buying product this year. We’re focused on delivering new  innovations  that offer a great return-on-investment for our customers and a more compelling experience for casinos patrons.

What has been the performance of the company's target markets?
Our games are performing extremely well in Mexico and Latin America, and many of our Pro Series core video titles have increased performance significantly in North America. Our premium-game performance has been outstanding, and in FY2011, we achieved record gaming operations revenue which comes from the premium game facet of our business. Some of our best-performing titles right now are Cash Wizard, Betty Boop’s Love Meter, Money Vault, Vegas Hits, and  Cash Spin.

How affected is the gaming industry by the economic crisis that are experiencing the U.S. and Europe?
It continues to be a challenging time for the manufacturers and for the industry as a whole in North America, but we do see casinos starting to increase purchase behaviors here.  Bally is also well diversified and we’re winning in key emerging markets such as Italy and Mexico, where we find the most significant growth opportunities at the moment. 

What are the perspectives for 2012?
We have a positive perspective for 2012. We’re strong with regards to new innovations, and we have a deep library of content and new play mechanics in video and steppers.  Our core video products are looking great, and we continue to grow our premium portfolio.  We’re thrilled about the customer acceptance of iVIEW DM and the Elite Bonusing Suite, and are looking forward to seeing more operators leverage that technology to add floor-wide excitement. The quick integration of MacroView Labs’ mobile-application platform with our core systems will be one of our most immediate focuses. We are excited about working with our partners to take their casinos mobile; exciting times at Bally.  Come visit us and G2E and experience the innovation.