“Our new branding reflects that SHFL is constantly evolving”

The company introduced its new name, logo and image at recent G2E show. What represents for SHFL these corporate changes?
The new name is truly a perfect combination of where we’ve been and where we’re headed. Shuffle Master had very strong brand recognition so we wanted to retain some of the original brand; however, the company has evolved so much since its inception in 1983. "SHFL" pays homage to our founder, John Breeding, and our early beginnings in card shufflers; we will never forget where we came from and wouldn’t be where we are today without our shufflers. “Entertainment” better describes all that we have to offer today and in the future with 5 unique product categories (utility, specialty table games, e-Tables, slots and iGaming). We are truly an entertainment company, providing products that encourage and support a dynamic gaming experience for players and innovative solutions for our customers.

From a design standpoint, we updated our logo and our fonts to create greater brand distinction by giving the logo uniqueness and a cleaner, more contemporary font. Our former branding was edging on 30 years old and a lot has changed since then, particularly in our business.  

The scope and the pace of technology have enabled us to do things we didn't think were possible initially and have touched every single one of our product segments. Our new branding needed to reflect that SHFL is at the forefront of those changes, and is constantly evolving.  

What are the advantages of these changes for the company in the future?
The new name better encompasses our product diversity and is broad enough to allow for integration of synergistic new verticals, like i-gaming. It doesn’t limit us to one product category yet it retains some of the strong brand equity associated with our legacy product, card shufflers. It also brings together under a new brand all the companies and entities which have been acquired in the past. The objective of our customers is to entertain the player and our product portfolio enables and supports that entertainment. The new name helps drive the message that SHFL has many product innovations under its umbrella, not just one or two.

Introducing a broad-based products and content-rich innovations, SHFL highlighted the theme "A Better Game" during G2E. Which are the main features of this concept?
 “A Better Game” emphasizes how SHFL’s diverse product suite delivers a better gaming experience for both casinos and players.  The content is certainly a key driver but our utility products ensure a secure environment and protect the integrity of the game. This theme ties to our mission of providing more profitability, more excitement, more security, and ultimately, greater profitability, which in effect delivers a better gaming experience.    

Which were the most important products that SHFL exhibited during G2E?
We can point to something notable in every product category. 

In our Utility segment, we debuted the new DeckMate 2 poker room shuffler, which offers significant performance and security improvements over its predecessor, the DeckMate. At 22 seconds, the DeckMate 2’s shuffle time is twice as fast as the original and it features optical card recognition, which increases game security and integrity. 

In our specialty table games category, the new blackjack side bet House Money drew rave reviews from customers and players alike. In fact, it took top honors in the 11th Annual Global Gaming Business Gaming & Technology Awards, winning Best Table Game Product.

In e-Tables, our new Rapid Fusion builds upon the popular Rapid platform (a “hybrid” e-Table that incorporates a live dealer and electronic touch-screen terminals) by offering compelling player enhancements like concurrent gaming. The player can now decide between having action on roulette, baccarat and/or sic bo, and can even play all games at once if they prefer.

With over 25 new and proven titles on display, our slot machine lineup showcased SHFL’s deep portfolio of content and highlighted our growing success in competitive locals markets.

Last but not least, our interactive lineup at G2E showcased over 10 renowned brands, including top-performing specialty table games like Ultimate Texas Hold'em, Three Card Poker, Casino War, and Let it Ride. 

Most of the leading companies of the industry are involved now with mobile, online and even social gaming. Which is SHFL strategy in this field? Which is your personal vision on this segment of the market?
We are highly committed to the space and have a team dedicated solely to this area. Our three-pronged approach points to the same strategy and that is to leverage our great brands and compelling content portfolio online. What underscores all of this – and across all of our categories as well – is SHFL’s mission of providing superior innovation and solutions to customers in all aspects of gaming, whether it’s land-based on online. The industry is evolving and SHFL is not only providing products to suit the needs of today’s gaming environment, but also creating innovation to spearhead the gaming trends of tomorrow.   

Being both customizable and skinnable, our online products are designed to fit seamlessly into a variety of online operations, whether it’s real-money gaming where legal or free-to-play web, mobile and social. We are creating content that’s compatible and deliverable on nearly every device including PC, Mac, iOS, and Android.

My personal vision is that online gaming will one day be ubiquitous, much like we’ve seen online commerce affect so many other industries. Online offerings have either created a complementary arm to land-based businesses or the industry itself has completely changed as a result. My vision is that online gaming will be well-regulated, secure and truly universal. I believe it serves as a complementary extension and a new revenue generator for casinos. 

How did you see G2E this year? How do you evaluate the participation of the company at the show?
With over 50 new innovations displayed across our five product categories, our G2E lineup demonstrated why SHFL is not only a driving force in gaming technology and innovation, but also how our diverse product mix sets us apart as a supplier and a partner to our customers.

I was truly encouraged by the phenomenal customer response at the show.  The energy level at the SHFL booth kept me motivated and highly engaged despite the rigorous demands of the week. Our new innovations and our top-notch sales team created plenty of business opportunities; however, our next step is to turn those opportunities into realities. In addition to serving first and foremost as a trade show for our customers, G2E has undisputedly morphed into much more than that. All week long, investors, gaming media, industry thought leaders, and other diverse audiences came through our booth and engaged with our products. The keen interest that this broad audience has for G2E in general provides great exposure for our industry as a whole.