Exciting Innovations

The exciting Light & Wonder Booth at G2E 2022

Interview with Bob Parente, Chief Business Development Officer for Light & Wonder by Victor H. Royer

asino Life Magazine and Outsource

CDigital Media recently had the opportunity to interview Bob Parente, Chief Business Development Officer at Light & Wonder.

Bob, first I want to thank you for taking the time to speak with me. Please tell our readers about yourself and your role at Light & Wonder?

Thank you, Victor – great to see you again. We had a wonderful show at G2E 2022, and we appreciate seeing you there at the tour. I started in the gaming industry in 1996 with Mikohn Gaming/Progressive Gaming as the head of sales and marketing, after shifting from a career in the high-tech industry in California. My aim was to bring a technical solution sales approach to the team given my technical background. After over a decade with Mikohn/ PGI, I transitioned to Bally Gaming, which ultimately morphed into Scientific Games, followed by Light & Wonder after several company transitions. For most of my 13-year tenure with Scientific Games/ Light & Wonder, I was the global chief revenue officer driving revenue across all lines of the gaming division. Recently I moved into the role of chief business development officer at Light & Wonder, with an emphasis on driving cross-platform content and experience for players, more commonly referred to as convergence.

Light & Wonder is the new name for the company previously known as Scientific Games. How has the direction and vision statement changed under this new banner? Or has it?

For many years, we were a holding company of different gaming businesses, a legacy of multiple acquisitions all under the Scientific Games name. Through a series of bold strategic moves we’ve

Bob Parente, Chief Business Development Officer at Light & Wonder

transformed into a growth company as Light & Wonder – a leading cross-platform global game company. The name was born out of our new purpose, our great products and our amazing employees – known as “creators” – to serve our players and customers.

We’re here to build new worlds of play that delight players. We create content, hardware and systems that connect iconic titles across any place or channel. By turning games into expansive entertainment we keep thrilling players with great characters and stories.

And, as the world continues to converge, we’ll continue to provide a seamless experience across platforms – spanning land-based casinos, online and mobile, and in both real money and free-to-play social gaming markets because that’s what players want.

Please tell us about the new leadership at Light & Wonder, and in which roles they now serve within the company?

Our new chief executive officer, Matt Wilson, is focused on accelerating our progress as a sustainable-growth company. He’s driven by the company’s core principles that unite the team, guide our actions and drive growth. Matt brings strategic insights, deep industry knowledge, rich experience and an impressive track record. Most recently as he successfully worked to turn around and reposition Light & Wonder’s Gaming business for long-term growth.

This is the first fully post-pandemic gaming convention in Las Vegas and yours is – essentially – a new company. How do you see Light & Wonder positioned in the current and future gaming market?

We remain focused on advancing our strategic roadmap to deliver for our customers and achieve our vision of becoming the leading cross-platform global game company. We’re incredibly proud of all that we have achieved this year and are excited about the opportunity in front of us to define the next generation of connected cross-platform play. Our momentum is demonstrated by our great games and cabinets topping the charts across the board, by the growth and performance of our iGaming portfolio and by the exclusive new content launching across the U.S. At G2E, we placed a focus on inspiring excitement, which was seen throughout our show-floor footprint and within the new offerings showcased for players, customers and casino operators worldwide. The convergence into cross-platform not only positions us well in the market today but elevates our brand for the future. We know player behavior is evolving, and we are passionate about bringing players the best digital experiences, no matter where they are.

Which are the video games and related technologies which Light & Wonder is presenting, and what is new and innovative about them?

At G2E, we unveiled new, high-performing hardware and digital offerings that take player attraction and engagement to atmospheric levels. This includes COSMIC™, a new slot cabinet that offers players an immersive experience with revolutionary, fiberoptic lighting and advanced animations, and Light

& Wonder LIVE DEALER by Authentic Gaming, a live-casino experience.

Attendees at G2E 2022 gained a glimpse at how we’re leveraging our proprietary brands and content across our portfolio. This includes chart-topping content like GOLDFISH FEEDING TIME™, Light & Wonder’s latest cross-platform hit; HUFF N’ MORE PUFF slot machine (number-one Top Core Game); KASCADA™ Dual Screen slot cabinet – the number-one Multi-Screen Upright for three months running – LANDMARK ™ 7000 Wheel cabinet – the number-one Mechanical Reel Hardware for two months running) – and the COIN COMBO™ game series, which is topping the i-gaming charts across the U.S.

For these video titles, which of them have new, or re-imagined cabinets?

L&W has actively reimagined some of our biggest proprietary brands onto new hardware and experiences for players such as ULTIMATE FIRE LINK® Explosion and Quick Hits Explosion expanding to our large-format mural cabinet. We’ve also extended ULTIMATE FIRE LINK (Cash Falls) to COSMIC. We’re focused on evolving our brands for players to enjoy across multiple platforms and hardware, both in the casino and online.

Our new slot cabinet, COSMIC, offers players an immersive experience with revolutionary fiber-optic lighting and advanced animation. The cabinet’s innovative, contour design features a 27-inch, integrated, to- monitor display that flows seamlessly into the 49-inch, curved, player panel. COSMIC is the latest addition to our chart-topping hardware lineup, joining KASCADA Dual Screen and our newest stepper cabinet, LANDMARK 7000. for new and expansive avenues to offer our solutions, games, and products to players and customers alike. Last

December we introduced AToM™.

AToM, which stands for Access To

On-Demand Money, a convenient tabletop device that allows players to access additional funds right at the gaming position without cash handling or game stoppage. In addition, there are no back-end or out-of-network transaction fees charged by the player’s financial institution. To access funds, players simply swipe their debit card and enter their PIN.

Cashless gaming hasn’t wide acceptance among casino operators or players. How does L&W consider the future of cashless gaming? Is this something that L&W will continue to pursue as a priority?

As a company, we’re always looking

Which are the stepper (reel) games and related technologies which L&W is presenting, and what is new and innovative about them?

Earlier this year we presented our newest stepper cabinet, LANDMARK 7000. The LANDMARK 7000 brings

The new COSMIC™ slot Cabinet forth traditional and time-honored features that made the mechanical reel an icon, now with today’s modern technology. Created for the higherdenom player, the LANDMARK 7000 is complemented by its collection of new, on-trend, high-denom content. At G2E, we displayed a third game for the LANDMARK 7000, Johnny Cash—The Man in Black.

In the gaming industry, manufacturers sometimes refer to a segment of their products as “premium.” Which are those that L&W is showcasing?

Light & Wonder demonstrated a content portfolio of premium product featuring some of our biggest licensed IP; MONOPOLY, Monsters and SINATRA plus our key proprietary brands; ULTIMATE FIRE LINK®, QUICK HIT®, INVADERS ATTACKS, 88 FORTUNES®, just to name a few. These brands were featured across our top-performing hardware lines, including LANDMARK 7000 with Wheel, Mural, KASCADA and COSMIC.

ULTIMATE FIRE LINK® Explosion game

Now that pandemic concerns are no longer the main force affecting casinos and players, how is Light & Wonder positioned to provide video and reel games, and content to casinos?

We see our industry increasingly converging — we are set up well and we see more players playing games online. We are the only company with leading positions across gaming, i-gaming and social, and are in a great place today with 40 percent of our mix being digital in nature. We are confident that we will achieve our target. No one else can match our wealth of great franchises or our ability to deliver great games to players anywhere they want to play.

Our top-ranked product performance across gaming, i-gaming and SciPlay is a large part of our continued forward momentum. Some recent wins: • ULTIMATE FIRE LINKwith its LINK with its extension ULTIMATE Explosion debuted as the number-one wide-areaprogressive game on Eilers; • COIN COMBO – a land-based favorite – achieved yet another record launch in i-gaming with HURRICANE

HORSE™, and highly anticipated

CARNIVAL COW™ and TERRIFIC

TIGER™ are set to launch in the second half of the year; • And of course, GOLD FISH®, where GOLD FISH FEEDING TIME drove incremental SciPlay visitation and engagement metrics, was a hugely successful cross-platform launch.

Online casinos continue to gain acceptance and legalization. How is Light & Wonder positioned to provide content and technologies to online gaming?

We strongly believe that

the next generation of electronic table games will give players a live connection to the Internet, bringing exciting casino experiences across any device. That’s why I’m excited to share that we debuted Light & Wonder LIVE DEALER by Authentic Gaming at G2E. This new, digital offering provides players with a premium, live casino experience online. Light & Wonder LIVE DEALER by Authentic Gaming uses a bespoke studio environment to provide a wide selection of shared live tables available to all operators. In addition, graphic elements, UIs, and side bets can all be customized to each operator’s brand and players. L&W also provides a number of existing table games and related table game technologies. Please tell our readers more about these table game products, table games, shuffling machines, Goldfish Feeding Time Castle Kascada Dual and other innovations that L&W is showcasing at G2E 2022. Light & Wonder is bringing our popular and top performing electronic table game ROULETTE X™ to a standard roulette table. ROULETTE X is offering players a supercharged roulette experience that keeps them coming back for more by allowing them to choose their own level of volatility and the chance to win up to 500 times the value of their wager on a single number. The game is now available on QUARTZ™ Hybrid, QUARTZ Standalone, TABLEMASTER ™, QUARTZ and traditional felt. In addition to the exciting and recognizable portfolio of top-class games, we’re bringing forward the latest innovations in technology and next-generation experiences. G2E attendees and operators saw CARD RECYCLER™ , a smart utility that analyzes used cards for defects while simultaneously discarding damaged cards and recycling reusable cards into complete, casinostandard decks. Also spotlighted at G2E 2022 was L&W Connect – the most established LANDMARK 7000, Johnny Cash-The Man in Black game predictive analytical solution

in the industry, with Slot Connect pulling data from more than 100 customer sites and sharing analysis to customers via a customer portal; and Shuffle Connect, a solution that taps into the shuffler and the smart shoe to count the number of hands dealt per table and time of day, giving casino managers a functional picture of their tablegame activity.

And lastly, Celebrity Celebration, an enhancement to the bonusing system that gives operators the ability to send a personalized video message to winners on the slot floor, was also on display. These personalized video messages can be handtailored and feature myriad familiar faces, from casino executives to celebrity hot shots, sending congratulatory messages to the player in real time. to have exceptional mentors on both the company side and the customer side. Their insight catapulted my understanding of the industry in the early days, and enlightened me to connect to the players’ mindset and needs. In addition, I have been blessed with working with some of the best talent in the industry and being a part of the journey with them. Now, at this stage of my career, I am passionate about helping to drive the gaming industry to the next phase — convergence — with delivery of content and experiences across all channels of play from land-based, on-line, social, mobile, etc. This convergence of gaming encapsulates all the prior forms of games and technology that I have watched evolve over the past 26 years finally come together.

Finally, in your career in gaming, and with Light & Wonder, what would you consider to be the highlights?

In my gaming career, I was very fortunate

On behalf of Casino Life Magazine and Outsource Digital Media, I would like to thank you, Bob, for your time, and for The LANDMARK ™ 7000 Wheel sharing this with us and our readers cabinet featuring Frank Sinatra worldwide.

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