SPIELO INTERNATIONAL
“More people playing our games than ever before, anywhere, any
time, on any thing” Walter Bugno has overseen the merger of Atronic and Spielo to create Spielo International, and is now combining it with GTECH G2 to bring an exciting multi-channel content provider to the industry. Casino International caught up with Walter at the ICE show in London…
A Walter Bugno
year is a long time in gaming, as the industry is simply never still, and with ‘convergence’ a keyword for many at recent exhibitions things seem to be moving faster than ever. The companies
that know their relative weakness and work with partners who have complementary strengths will thrive in the new multi-platform gaming environment; those that fail to understand the changing nature of gaming risk being left behind. Overseeing Spielo International’s drive into new
waters is Walter Bugno, who shared his thoughts with Casino International at ICE 2012.
Casino International: Since the last time we spoke – just prior to the official unveiling of the company’s new identity at G2E Vegas – has there been any further streamlining or operational changes for Spielo International? Walter Bugno: When we brought together the two
businesses, stepping back in time, we brought them together to do two things. One was to leverage the capabilities and skills that the Spielo and Atronic teams had, bringing them together for a common purpose; the second thing was to transform that common purpose into acceleration of innovation and growth. They were our two primary objectives. The resultant 12 months after that saw some fabulous success stories – doubling our profitability, securing new markets and customers, the ramp-up and launch of new games, the improvement in performance of existing core games, - 2011 was a very good year for us. The reason we can’t stay static is because the market is never static, and our competitors are never static. Economic conditions make it so that different priorities go to the top of the list at different times of the life cycle of a business. Right now those priorities are online gaming and VLTs. That’s what is hot in the market right now. VLTs are
a source of revenue for governments and online is bringing the next generation of players into the gaming world. Furthermore the opportunity of
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combining offerings between land-based and online as well as the regulatory changes that are happening. As Lottomatica Group we looked at how to best take advantage, play and grasp opportunity in these current conditions. That was when the decision was made to bring Spielo International and GTECH G2 together into a unified business across all gaming segments and channels. At ICE 2012, we are representing our combined portfolios, demonstrating how online and land-based gaming can mutually generate traffic and attract new players. For example, we´re showing our first common game Book Of The Sphinx TM, which is the first game that encompasses our vision to have players be able to play anytime, anywhere and on anything.
CI: Has the job lived up to your expectations? What were they, before you joined the gaming industry? WB: Well, I’m not new to the industry – though I might be new to the supplier side of the industry! From 2006 to 2009, I was the CEO, Casinos, for Tabcorp Holdings Limited, Australia’s premier gambling and entertainment group. Expectations? I feel we have met expectations as we continue to grow the business. Twelve months into the journey, we started floating the idea of convergence, and the best way for us to play in that space is to bring our businesses together between land-based and online. This part of the business, the gaming division, will be a significant growth driver for Lottomatica on an ongoing basis. My personal expectations? We set a fiver-year task internally and we think we will deliver it next year, which is two years ahead of plan.
CI: Where do you see Spielo International in the medium- and long-term? What is the path to take you there? WB: We – as an integrated company – want to be
seen as a consistent, reliable innovative supplier of solutions and content to the market. It’s not about grandeur or size, or being number one. We recognise
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