“It has been a very busy 2012 for WMS Gaming and Williams Interactive”

“It has been a very busy 2012 for WMS Gaming and Williams Interactive” said Edidin, who commented that, in March, Williams Interactive filed with Nevada’s Gaming Control Board for an interactive gaming license (approved in September), and entered into an agreement in late April with Belgium’s Group Partouche to develop a fully managed Partouche-branded online casino that will launch early in 2013.

“The acquisition of Phantom EFX and Jadestone Group in the second quarter supported the formation of Williams Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of WMS that now provides a full complement of iGaming products and fully managed end-to-end online solutions for both land-based and online casino operators”, he added. “Shortly thereafter, we introduced, Jackpot Party Social Casino, with authentic, classic Las Vegas-style casino slot entertainment. By late November, nearly half a million people were playing Jackpot Party Social Casino on a daily basis, and it has quickly become one of the highest monetizing games on Facebook,” he pointed.

Edidin then commented about the deals that the firm signed during the year: “We expanded our multi-year B2B online gaming agreements with Betsson Group and Unibet, and agreed with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation to provide online WMS Casino content. In aggregate, Betsson, Unibet and their operating companies provide online gaming entertainment to more than 12 million registered players in more than 100 countries globally. The first WMS games are anticipated to be available on the Unibet and Betsson online casinos early in calendar 2013. Registered players around the world will have an opportunity to experience exciting WMS content, like the  WIZARD OF OZ, Zeus, Reel ‘Em In and Jackpot Party games.”

“Along the way, we completed construction of our new state-of-the-art Technology Development Center in Chicago, and moved the Pune (India) team to a larger facility to accommodate more than 200 employees, thereby affirming our blue print for long-term growth throughout the world,” he noted.
At G2E 2012, the firm introduced more than 100 new and unique games, including the My Poker video poker game, the Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory and the Spider-Man slot games. For the first time, customers saw the Gamefield xD cabinet, an entirely new form-factor with a revolutionary player interface; and Blade, a stunning, sleek next-generation cabinet designed to cut through the clutter on casino floors.

“While the global market was challenging, we put considerable focus on the development and introduction of several new products for our international customers, including Game Chest, a series of multi-games on the CPU-NXT2 platform available on the Bluebird2e and Bluebird XD cabinets,” he stressed.
“Wrapping up the year, we were extremely honored to be recognized by the National Association of Business Resources as one of the nation’s “101 Best and Brightest Places to Work For.” Without a doubt, we have the most talented team in the industry, and could not have accomplished nearly as much without the dedication, creativity and passion for innovation, shared amongst all of our teammates and the casino industry.”

Finally, when asked about the future, Edidin assured: “At WMS, we are excited about the future and the evolving gaming landscape, the growth of online wagering, and the opportunity to introduce a new generation of players to world-class entertainment online and in the casinos, while continuing to engage those players who have been our long-time fans.”