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Dry Line Partners Acquires Vizexplorer Parent Company

VizExplorer, a leading supplier of business intelligence software to the casino gaming industry, announced that it has closed a purchase agreement with Dry Line Partners, LLC (DLP) under which DLP will acquire all the assets of VizExplorer’s parent company, VizExp., Inc.

EVERI TO CONSOLIDATE MANUFACTURING, DISTRIBUTION IN LAS VEGAS

Everi Holdings Inc. announced that it has begun construction of a new facility that will consolidate the manufacturing, assembly and distribution of its gaming machines currently done in Austin, Texas with its self-service fully integrated cash access kiosks, loyalty kiosks and other fintech products currently assembled in Las Vegas.

The new Las Vegas facility, which will adhere to high levels of environmental and sustainable stewardship during construction and operation, is expected to streamline production and simplify supply chain processes and the distribution of completed products to customers.

The company predicts it will record approximately $4.5 million of expense in 2023 related to planned closure and exit costs, relocation, employee retention, and other associated costs for transition of production to the new facility.

The new 182,500-square-foot leased facility will include space to co-locate lab facilities for both games and fintech businesses, house service and customer installation teams and administrative staff, and have room for future expansion to accommodate expected growth in the business.

The building is expected to be completed in October 2023, and is being built to Everi’s specifications to encompass high levels of environmental sustainability and create an employee- friendly working environment.

The building will utilize such elements as low-water landscaping, energy-efficient windows, automated LED lighting, high-efficiency plumbing, energy-usage tracking, and solar-powered energy to lessen the environmental impact of the building.

Assembly of the company’s fintech products at the current Las Vegas facility is expected to transition to the new facility shortly after completion of the building. Production of gaming machines currently done in Austin is expected to transition to the Las Vegas facility in stages over six months following its completion to ensure seamless distribution of products to customers.

DLP, based in Austin and San Antonio, was formed in late 2020 by Bret Piatt, Michael Girdley and Matt Morris to acquire and operate marketleading recurring-revenue technology companies. VizExplorer is DLP’s second platform investment.

“We are thrilled to have DLP as our new financial partner,” said David Patent, president and CEO of VizExplorer. “We have been working with the DLP team for several months and have found a great fit for our team and our business. DLP will help facilitate continued innovation and investment in the critical strategic areas of the business.”

“We are excited to partner with the industry veterans at VizExplorer to further expand their dominant market position in casino gaming software,” said Matt Morris, a partner in DLP. “Our investor base is comprised of leading technology entrepreneurs/operators, multi-generational family offices and some of the brightest minds from global investment firms.”

Novomatic Americas To Relocate Headquarters

Novomatic Americas, the U.S. arm of Austrian gaming giant Novomatic AG, announced it will relocate its headquarters from Mount Prospect, Illinois to a new, specially designed location in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. The move is intended to enable expanded R&D and distribution capabilities. The new headquarters site is equipped with large manufacturing spaces, a high-performance distribution infrastructure and prime accessibility.

“This is an exceptional opportunity for Novomatic Americas, offering a more spacious environment with new opportunities for working smarter,” said Novomatic Americas CEO Rick Meitzler.

The move of all administrative and development teams to Novomatic’s new headquarters will be done gradually, over a transition period of the next three months.

The building features 26-foot ceilings, five truck docks, and heavy power, lab/showroom/technician buildout. It is fully temperature-controlled.

In other company news, Novomatic extended its distributor contract with APEX PRO Gaming covering North America and the Caribbean, plus the acquisition of selected assets of Apogee Gaming. Novomatic Americas Sales will be the single point of contact with regards to APEX PRO gaming equipment in North America and the Caribbean market.

The deal combines Novomatic Americas’ successful product offering with the popular APEX Clover Link And Clover Link Extreme product lines and adds more progressive link power to the popular Novomatic Americas link families.

Aristocrat Becomes Official Slot Sponsor Of F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix

The updated program will extend through May of next year, and comes after the company announced a similar program in May 2022 that encompassed US$321.7 million worth of shares.

Full House Installs Konami Cms At American Place

purchase on February 17.

“Barstool is a proven, powerful media brand with an authentic voice and vast, loyal audience that provides us with a strong top of funnel for new customer acquisition and organic cross-selling opportunities across our growing interactive division,” said Penn CEO and President Jay Snowden in a statement.

Barstool helps create a massive digital footprint and ecosystem that will serve to propel Barstool Sportsbook, along with its media and gaming business.

Barstool Sports creates content distributed on podcasts, video, live events, pay-per-view and subscription.

Illinois’ newest casino destination, American Place near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, has opened its temporary gaming hall with Konami’s award-winning systems technology, Synkros.

The Temporary by American Place will open shortly with approximately 1,000 slot machines, 50 table games and Synkros technology running throughout. The permanent American Place facility is scheduled to open approximately three years from now with a world-class casino, state-of-the-art sportsbook, premium boutique hotel, 1,500-seat live entertainment venue, and a wide array of eateries, bars, and other amenities.

Since Penn’s first investment in Barstool, the company has:

• Grown its audience 194 percent and recorded total podcast downloads of 1.6 billion;

• Delivered over 875,000 videos across social media channels totaling over 128 billion video views;

• Increased ad sales by 160 percent; and,

• Sold over 5 million units, including apparel, licensed products and accessories.

Aristocrat Gaming has secured its place as the “official slot machines” of the Las Vegas Formula 1 (F1) Grand Prix, having signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with the race, which will debut November 16-18 on the Las Vegas Strip and continue on an annual basis thereafter.

The deal is the latest in a series of sports-related partnerships Aristocrat has secured in the last few years. The company has existing deals with the National Football League as a whole as well as the Las Vegas Raiders franchise. At G2E last fall, Aristocrat announced plans to produce NFL-themed slots in the near future.

The upcoming race, which will see cars zooming through a course that includes various sections of the Strip, is expected to be a significant revenue driver for the city, as preliminary studies have indicated that its overall economic impact could exceed $1 billion.

In other company news, Aristocrat also announced that it is extending its existing share buyback program for an extra AU$500 million (US$336.5 million).

“With Synkros at the core of the Temporary at American Place, our guests can immediately begin to connect with tailored rewards, offers, and communications across the site,” said Dan Lee, president and CEO of Full House Resorts. “When the permanent American Place casino makes its debut, the earned rewards and relationships will move seamlessly to the new facility, with even more entertainment opportunities.”

The Temporary at American Place is a beta site for the Synkros launch of Oracle Analytics, considered one of the nation’s leading options for business intelligence and analytics. Full House Resorts’ entire portfolio is powered by Synkros, including the Silver Slipper Casino and Hotel in Mississippi, which has pioneered the system since 2006.

Penn Entertainment Concludes Purchase Of Barstool Sports

After three years, it’s finally time to toast the done deal for Penn Entertainment. The operator now has total ownership of Barstool Sports, a 20-year-old entertainment platform and sportsbook operator.

Penn, which bought its initial stake in February 2020, announced completion of the $388 million

Penn was granted a license to operate the Barstool Sportsbook platform in Massachusetts in January. It operates a brick-and-mortar Barstool Sportsbook at the Plainridge Casino that was heavily scrutinized by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission before the license was approved.

Global Payments Gaming Division To Become Pavilion Payments

Parthenon Capital, a growth-oriented private equity firm, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with Global Payments Inc. to acquire its gaming division and transition Global Payments Gaming Solutions into Pavilion Payments, a stand-alone independent company.

After closing on the transaction, Pavilion Payments will continue to offer Global Payments Gaming Solutions’ full suite of payments solutions for the gaming industry, including VIP Preferred and the award-winning cashless solution VIP Mobility. Completion of the transaction was expected by the end of March, subject to the receipt of certain regulatory approvals.

The business will continue to be led by its existing management team with current president Christopher Justice assuming the additional title of chief executive officer of Pavilion Payments.

David Orrick Receives European Casino Award

David Orrick, director of industry relations at Merkur Gaming, has been an established name in the international gaming industry for close to 30 years. Now he has been honored for his many years of service at the European Casino Awards ceremony in the Grand Connaught Rooms in London’s Covent Garden. In February, he received the Jimmy Thomas Outstanding Contribution Award.

“This award means a lot to me. Any recognition from within the industry in which one is privileged to work is a great honor and particularly so in this case as it reflects on long service throughout the companies that I have worked with during my time in the industry,” said Orrick after the award ceremony.

The European Casino Awards honor products, services, operators and personalities of the European casino industry in 21 categories. The award ceremony is organized by Datateam Business Media, publisher of Casino International

A British citizen, Orrick is a true veteran of the international entertainment industry. Over the past decades, he has worked for numerous renowned gaming companies. Since January 2016, he has been contributing as director of industry relations to the steadily growing success of Merkur Gaming, the international development and sales brand of the German Gauselmann Group.

“David is an industry professional who knows and understands the world of gaming and its protagonists like no other,” said Athanasios “Sakis” Isaakidis, chief executive international at Merkur Gaming. “His expertise, professionalism and commitment are highly respected both within and beyond Merkur Gaming by industry and media representatives around the world.

“We are thrilled for him to have received this special award; it is an important acknowledgement of his contribution to the industry—which in David’s case has always been more of a passion than work.”

The award presented to Orrick bears the name of one of the best-known icons of the British leisure and gaming industry. Jimmy Thomas, who died last August, led the industry from the front for over 70 years. As well as founding the company Automatics Co. Ltd., the crowning achievement of his career was acquiring the multi-award-winning Hippodrome Casino leisure center in the heart of London.

Carolyn Kidd Appointed Chief Risk Officer At Skycity

SkyCity Entertainment Group has announced the appointment of Carolyn Kidd to the newly established role of chief risk officer, effective April 1, subject to necessary regulatory approvals.

Kidd is an experienced risk executive with an extensive career in the banking and finance industry—her most recent role being chief risk officer at Westpac New Zealand from February 2016 to June 2022.

Prior to this, Kidd held a number of senior risk roles across Australia and New Zealand, including chief risk officer at Bankwest (Commonwealth Bank of Australia), chief risk officer at Sovereign Assurance, and chief credit officer, acting chief risk officer and head of credit risk management at ASB Bank Limited.

TED CHAN APPOINTED GALAXY CFO; MIKE MECCA RETURNS AS DIRECTOR

Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) announced last month that Robert Drake will exit his role as chief financial officer of the company effective March 1, to be replaced by Ted Chan, formerly chief operating officer of the group’s Japan development division.

GEG issued a statement saying Drake is leaving to “pursue his personal interests.”

Drake had worked with GEG for more than 15 years, most recently helping the group navigate the Covid-19 pandemic and helping it secure a second gaming concession. The 10-year concession began January 1.

Chan initially joined GEG in 2018, as COO of the Japan development arm, having previously served as the COO of Melco, before resigning in 2016 for “personal reasons.” Before that, Chan worked at a unit of the Amax group, which operated VIP gaming services in Macau.

Drake will now serve as a senior adviser to the company. GEG Vice Chairman Francis Lui said, “I look forward to continuing our relationship with Bob.”

Also last month, GEG announced that former senior executive and current board member Michael Mecca has been redesignated from a non-executive director to an independent non-executive director. The change took effect on March 1.

Mecca was the company’s president and chief operating officer before his April 2018 retirement. Following a four-year “cooling-off period,” he is now eligible to serve in his new capacity, GEG stated.

Grant Eve To Head Tribal Gaming For Wipfli

Wipfli partner Grant Eve has been named tribal industry leader. Eve is a recognized leader in the tribal government and gaming industries and has assisted clients in large casino operations, online gaming, changes in gaming operations (both tribal and commercial), technology solutions and more.

He has worked with tribal gaming organizations and commercial casinos throughout multiple jurisdictions and has testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs regarding gaming-related issues.

Eve is the vice chair and in his second term on Wipfli’s board of directors, which is an elected ninemember strategic governing body of the firm.