INTERVIEW
their investment. Isn’t that what sales is all about? This industry has relied on product and solution selling, customers require value selling. We need to show differentiation, and with all that IGT has to offer we are in an extremely good place to offer this more than any of our competitors, that’s why I am so excited with the opportunity that I have in running this organization.
RCM: You know, whenever I speak to an IT guy,
there is a feeling that the language they use filled with initials and acronyms kind of put you at a disadvantage, but right now I feel that we are both on similar levels of language use. This is good news for all casino guys who need to get more into IT but without the inhibitions that the discipline carries for the uninitiated.
“The enterprise software background and the disciplines and principles I’ve learned will be critical to my success here”
SG: “As I mentioned earlier, you can’t teach
credibility. The past experiences I bring to this role, make me credible to customers. When they hear the vision and strategy we have and the future direction that IGT EMEA is taking and how IGT as a company continues with its Customer First purpose and promise, they get excited and keen to learn more. The enterprise software background and the disciplines and principles I’ve learned will be critical to my success here and from what I have seen so far, very much welcome by both IGT and our customers.
RCM: A comment I heard from you at G2E 2012, during the signing of the Letter of Intent with Holland Casino for the development and implementation of IGT’s new MOSAIC project, was related to player experience.
SG: “Yes, simply that IGT’s casino management solution will help Holland Casinos increase customer loyalty, but not only that, the player experience will be enhanced with IGT’s provision of unparalleled flexibility, relationship management functionality, and the tools necessary to optimally manage promotions and casino operations. – A bit of a mouthful – but being recognized as a partner and playing the role of a trusted business advisor to Holland Casino will absolutely allow us to deliver on their vision, and I am extremely excited the future outcomes the relationship will allows us both to experience.”
RCM: The main thrust of IGT’s sales strategy in EMEA is installations, such as Italy’s Casino de la Vallée, with a predominant mix of IGT’s
MegaJackpots, Core For-Sale games and the industry leading sbX casino management system. Do you have any other large installs ongoing or in the near future?
SG: “One important installation is that of Evian.
They installed sbX in April 2010 (with 53 new AVPs) and at the end of their fiscal year (October 31st, 2010) a first evaluation was made to ensure that they realized the benefits they expected:
• the growth of the casino on the whole exercise
was 13.76% against +1.26% the prior year • The entire floor benefited from the growth, the
customers played other machines when all AVPs were occupied
• All main indicators increased (Gross Win, Theo
Win, Drop and attendance) Since the ROI rapidly increased (14 months), the
board of directors voted for additional budget to be allocated and allowed Evian Casino to purchase an additional 18 new AVPs in FY11. Today the casino growth on FY2011 is +16.58%
(from November 2010 to August 2011), more than the national average across other casinos and similar solutions available. These good results are directly attributable to the decision to install sbX and to use its possibilities combined with the wide games library available on AVP cabinets and the marketing strategies put in place,
RCM: Finally, I noticed there were a lot of changes to your Amsterdam offices, with a new lobby in construction and changes to the gaming showroom.
SG: “When you have a brand like IGT with great solutions, I am a very firm believer that showing off what you have to the best of your ability is key and to do it well. We’ve just extended the lease here in Amsterdam for another five years and further commit to the EMEA IGT business, so upgrading the infrastructure and using the opportunity to include the new offerings in our show room was the right move. I want customers and prospects to come see us and get the full user experience with our solutions, we’ve got great references across Europe that assist us in doing this too, but they also want to upgrade to the latest and greatest which is what we incorporate here.”
Patti Hart, IGT CEO, has said that at the company is committed to “offering a streamlined, integrated, innovative systems solution, IGT will help provide a cutting-edge player experience”, and Sabby Gill shows that he has the will, determination and energy to carry this imposing strategy to step up IGT’s regional market share and in his words “level change” and enhance the global industry leader’s technological presence in casino floors in EMEA.
DECEMBER 2011 39
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