“By looking at the product arsenal we will launch at G2E, we feel very confident about 2012”

What are your expectations for G2E 2011? 
In the last month, we’ve had a steady stream of preview meetings with customers to introduce the products we will unveil at G2E, as well as our product road map—the feedback has been extremely positive. Many of our international customers are experiencing the great performance of our latest products including G+ Deluxe, BLUEBIRD xD, and the Ultra Hit Progressive (UHP) Portal Application family, and are pleased with our ongoing commitment to offer bank-by-bank product solutions to drive higher performance in their casinos.
We’re looking forward to a very positive reception and are excited to debut a broad portfolio of new products that will address the specific needs of our international customers. 

What is the outlook for the global gaming industry during this year?
The gaming industry is certainly not the only one that continues to be impacted by the global economy. Manufacturers and casino operators have been dealing with this climate for several years and at WMS we continue to be laser-focused on developing products that meet the near-term needs of our customers to provide the opportunity for an attractive return on their investment in gaming technology. By maintaining this focus, we support our customers’ growth objectives despite the economic circumstances. Specifically, we are seeing good activity in Western Europe and Latin America, particularly for WMS, and we have good success in New South Wales, Australia, which is still a relatively new market for us. 

In which way did the economic crisis in the US and Europe affect the gaming industry?
The European gaming industry has certainly been impacted by the economic environment. In addition, smoking bans and tax increases enforced by European governments, and delays in regulating internet gaming in many jurisdictions, have put a lot of casino operators in a difficult position. However, we are seeing some economic recovery, particularly in Northern and Central Europe, and we are seeing growth in the Italian VLT market.
We have also taken note of the potential for new jurisdictions to legalize gaming in other countries including Ireland and the Ukraine and in Greece, where they are considering legalizing VLTs, since the revenue they would collect from taxes would be highly beneficial. So, hopefully, when new jurisdictions open and the economy improves, Europe will be a significantly larger market than it has been historically.

What are the perspectives for 2012?
It is going to be another year where innovation and differentiated products will be paramount to our casino operators. Our mission is to assist casino operators by offering more games that appeal to their patrons so that they can, ideally, increase profitability. By looking at the product arsenal we are going to launch at G2E we feel very confident about 2012.