Kurt Gissane
5 QUESTIONS
Slot supplier Aristocrat Gaming has achieved a dominant position in every market in which it operates , and the Native American market is no exception . That ’ s why the Conference and Trade Show of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association ( OIGA ), held August 12-14 in Oklahoma City , has been one of the most important events on Aristocrat ’ s annual calendar . Kurt Gissane , Aristocrat ’ s chief revenue officer , gaming , spoke with GGB Editor Frank Legato from his Las Vegas office ahead of the OIGA trade show about the importance of the Native American market to Aristocrat , and how the company continuously strives to serve tribal customers . To see and hear this interview as a GGB Podcast , visit GGBMagazine . com .
1
GGB : How does the OIGA trade show fit in with Aristocrat ’ s product goals , particularly in the Class II area , where your subsidiary VGT has had a longstanding presence ? Gissane : Our focus remains constant regardless of what we do , and that ’ s always on our customers . Obviously , Class II products are always featured at OIGA , but so are our Class III products . We display a full range of our portfolio . It ’ s also interesting to note that VGT is now a fully integrated brand of Aristocrat Gaming . Obviously , it ’ s got a great brand and a lot of brand equity , so we are really loyal to the VGT product , but it is now fully integrated into the Aristocrat Gaming portfolio .
2
How much do Aristocrat ’ s studios concentrate on Class II content ? Are there Class II-first releases ? Not with every studio , but we do some . Our studios are focused on developing content across all the different streams and areas of our business , even in social gaming . Some of our studios will even put games on our social platforms first to test them before they bring them into land-based casinos . And , that could be Class II or Class III . There certainly are some studios that focus more heavily on Class II , but again , it ’ s all about collaboration , and a lot of them do both Class II and Class III .
3
The Hunt for Neptune ’ s Gold game family is an example of a Class II-first release now being adapted for Class III . How much collaboration is involved in achieving this ? One of our mantras at Aristocrat is what we call “ collective brilliance .” That ’ s where we really collaborate across all different teams and build on great ideas to create the best content for our customers . And obviously , we ’ re super fortunate at Aristocrat that we ’ ve got 13 amazing studios , building tremendous games . We ’ ve got a lot of great proprietary brands . So , they ’ ll take from that . And , as you ’ ve seen , The Hunt for Neptune ’ s Gold is a great example of a Class II-first release now entering Class III , but that goes both ways .
4
Let ’ s talk about the NFL slot series . You ’ ve got the Class II-only release Rings of Victory .
How ’ s that been received , and is the fact it ’ s offered on the RELM stepper platform related to its targeting Class II ? The NFL series has obviously been an amazing new addition to our portfolio . It ’ s an amazing franchise , and something we ’ re very proud of . We ’ ve created NFL games for both Class II and Class III , and we launched it across six different cabinets . That was by design , to bring games out for every different player demographic and across both Class II and Class III . So it was by design that we put it on all of those platforms , but obviously stepper products , in particular in Oklahoma , have been very successful .
5
Kurt Gissane
Chief Revenue Officer , Gaming Aristocrat Gaming
You ’ ve got both Class II and Class III in Oklahoma . Is Class III a hard sell where both are available , considering the tribes keep all Class II revenue ? Not at all . Class III has been a growing segment in Oklahoma , and it ’ s very strong . And again , with the strength of our portfolio , it ’ s a place we ’ ve really been able to experience a lot of growth . Oklahoma ’ s an extremely important market for Aristocrat , and the industry in general . Oklahoma tribal casinos continue to deliver for their tribal members and for the state of Oklahoma , which is super exciting . And , we ’ re there to help as much as possible by producing the best games we can and delivering the best products to our partners in the tribal casinos .
“ They Said It ”
“ If need be … we ’ ll get a bigger plate .”
— Peter Carlino , CEO of Gaming & Leisure Properties , responding to questions on the company ’ s Q2 earnings call about whether the REIT has too much on its plate following its $ 2.07 billion financing agreement with Bally ’ s Corporation
CALENDAR
October 7-10 : Global Gaming Expo ( G2E ), The Venetian Expo , Las Vegas , Nevada . Produced by Reed Exhibitions . For more information , visit globalgamingexpo . com .
October 15-16 : European Gaming Congress , Hotel Polonia Palace , Warsaw , Poland . Produced by Hipther . For more information , visit hipther . com / events / egc .
October 21-24 : World Lottery Summit , Paris , France . Produced by the World Lottery Association . For more information , visit world-lotteries . org .
October 29-31 : SBC Summit Latin America , Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino , Hollywood , Florida . Produced by SBC . For more information , visit sbcevents . com .
November 11-14 : SiGMA Europe , Mediterranean Maritime Hub , Xatt il-Mollijiet , Marsa , Malta . Produced by SiGMA Group . For more information , visit sigma . world / europe .
November 27-28 : Eastern European Gaming Summit , Inter Expo Center , Sofia , Bulgaria . Produced by the Association of Gaming Industry in Bulgaria . For more information , visit eegamingsummit . com .
December 4 : Global Regulatory Awards , Grand Connaught Rooms , London , U . K . Produced by Vixio . For more information , visit gamblingcomplianceawards . com .
8 Global Gaming Business SEPTEMBER 2024