Coming to America

Interview with Derik Mooberry, CEO of Zitro Games USA. By Victor H Royer

itro Games USA is a global supplier of electronic gaming machines, operating in over 40 jurisdictions around the world including market-leading positions in many countries. Derik Mooberry joined Zitro in February 2022 as CEO of Zitro USA, bringing indepth understanding and extensive experience in global-marketing strategies to Zitro as the company expanded international initiatives and implemented growth strategies across its entire business. Derik most recently was group chief executive of the gaming division at Scientific Games (now Light & Wonder). In his 19 years with Scientific Games, Derik held a number of management positions providing him experience in all aspects of the business.

Derik, first I want to thank you for taking the time to speak with me. Please tell our readers about yourself and your role at Zitro.

Thank you, Victor. It’s my pleasure to share this with your readers. My career prior to Zitro was focused on a number of different management positions that I held at Bally Technologies and Scientific Games (all predecessors to the new company now known as Light & Wonder). Prior to working at Bally, I had a tenure at the accounting and auditing firm of Arthur Andersen. This was where I gained my knowledge of how to manage large projects and fully understand the inner workings of a business.

My current role is as the Zitro USA CEO. Zitro is a global company with more than 1,000 employees around the world. However, until earlier this year we basically had no presence in the United States market. Our goal is to be viewed as a global supplier of innovative content for people who play electronic gaming machines. To accomplish this goal, we will need to become a meaningful supplier in the United States. We are working to build brand awareness for our products in the market and plan to enter all jurisdictions over time as we obtain regulatory approvals.

Zitro is known primarily in the South American market. Please tell our readers more about Zitro’s presence there, as well as in the U.S., and the remainder of the world’s markets. Zitro Games have substantially leading market positions in many jurisdictions around the world. For example, in the markets of Spain and Mexico, we are the largest supplier. The company’s history was initially in video bingo products. This is what created some of our market-leading positions. However, six years ago we made the entry into traditional Class III gaming devices. We had strong success in most of the markets we entered and it was this success that gave us the confidence to enter the U.S. as a meaningful OEM. Our most popular titles have been the 88 Link family of games — Lucky Charms and Wild Duels — which have shown exceptional performance in many markets, including the U.S. Since the beginning, Zitro has also been among the top companies in Eilers & Krejcik Gaming’s “emerging suppliers” ranking and we firmly intend to continue this path.

How has the direction and vision statement for Zitro changed since G2E 2021? Or has it? Our vision is to continue being the world leader in video bingo and keep growing in the video slots segment through innovation, differentiation, and excellence, in order to become a global leader in the gaming industry. As part of our ongoing brand evolution, we recently launched our new company slogan “Raising the Game,” which reinforces our commitment to continually create state-of-the-art gaming products to enhance the player experience, as well as to meet the ever-changing needs of casino operators around the world.

Please tell us about the newest leadership appointments at Zitro, and in which roles they now serve within the company. Due to Zitro’s continuous growth and expansion, changes have been made to the company’s structure. Sebastian Salat has recently been appointed international president. Thus, the team led by Johnny Ortiz is now structured as follows: With the strong leadership in Spain of Manuela Jimenez, vice

Derik Mooberry, CEO of Zitro Games USA

president of Zitro, Sebastian leading the company’s expansion into the European, Latin American and Asian markets, as well as our digital division, and myself as the CEO of Zitro USA, leading the U.S. and Canadian markets, we will be able to provide each market with the proper level of attention to guarantee rational and sustained growth, and therefore ensure quality service to our customers worldwide.

This was the first fully post-pandemic gaming convention in Las Vegas. We’d like to know how you see Zitro positioned in the current and future gaming market?

We were extremely pleased with the number and quality of attendees at the G2E show. For us, G2E 2022 was a chance to showcase our products, as well as an expectation to be recognized as a global leader in the electronic-gaming machine-market. We had over 60 machines in our booth highlighting the depth of the content on our GLARE cabinet line, which features four unique form-factors, each with its own set of content. By showcasing four distinct cabinets, we felt customers could get comfortable that we were not simply a one-bank vendor. We are seeing the strength of the product line at many locations where customers are now reordering multiple banks of products, based on the strong performance of their initial purchases.

Which were the video games and related technologies which Zitro was presenting? What was new and innovative about them?

This year, we presented at G2E a diverse lineup of games featured on the GLARE cabinet line, including Altius Glare, Illusion Glare, Allure Glare and Fusion Glare. Among the new titles on display were Mighty Hammer, a four-level, multi-game featured on Allure Glare, with four different game themes and three unique bonus links. Also, on display was Mega King, available for both the Allure and Fusion Glare cabinets. With this slot title, the more you bet the bigger the jackpot you get. Mega King also includes an amazing “ENERGY BOOST” feature, which allows players access to the bonus jackpot.

Also released was Seven Chests, a four-level, multi-game progressive with four fantasy-inspired characters, and a brand-new Seven Chests feature that takes the players on a thrilling adventure in the hunt for the coveted Golden Chests. Finally, Colossus Fire, also debuted on the Illusion Glare cabinet. This four-level, progressive, multi-game includes four game titles, as well as up to three unique bonus links where it is easier than ever to win the megajackpot while increasing prizes on each spin. All these games are designed with goal of offering an immersive and wellrounded gaming experience for players.

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

Our booth highlighted the GLARE product line during G2E. The GLARE lineup of cabinets is new to markets around the world and features four unique configurations. The Fusion Glare is a dual-screen cabinet designed to take advantage of locations where sightlines need to be optimized. The Allure Glare is our triple-screen option in which many of the games offer linked, top-box-bonus experiences. The Illusion Glare debuted in a new form factor at G2E as we upgraded to a 49-inch, curved, J-screen option. Last is our premium offering, the Altius Glare. It features a 27-inch base-game screen with a 55-inch, ultra-4K-resolution monitor on top to provide best-in-class graphics. We deliver immersive gaming experiences, and a diverse cabinet offering to meet the demands of casino operators when it comes to optimizing and diversifying the slot floor.

The GLARE cabinet series offers a diversity of form factors so that casino operators around the world can have distinct gaming experiences, differentiated not only by their theme and game mechanics, but also by their physical presentation. What these cabinets share is a cutting-edge design, along with premium sound effects, a smart LED Halo, a powerful next-gen processor, easy access for service, as well as wireless mobile charging. The depth of our cabinet offering demonstrated at this year’s G2E our continued efforts to provide casino operators differentiated experiences with content in many form factors.

Which of these titles are lease, sales or participation?

Zitro titles offered for sale:

• 88 Link Lucky Charms

• 88 Link Wild Duels

• 88 Link Multiplier

• Blast

• Mega King

• Light Temple

• Magic Roots

• Mei Shi Mei Ke

• Double Link

• Bashiba Link

• Colossus

Zitro titles offered for lease/participation:

• Wheel of Legends

• Fu Shou

• Seven Chests

For these video games, which do you think is the future: sales, lease or participation? Which do you think will be the dominant methodology in this marketing?

We try to provide our cabinets under a number of different pricing options. Therefore, our games can be placed in any of the categories mentioned above. I believe there will always be a healthy balance between all of the categories.

Are any of these titles available in cashless configuration?

All of the Zitro cabinets come cashless-ready. A customer can select the cashless system of their choice and our games will work in their environment.

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

At Zitro we consider our Altius Glare to be our premium offering. This was the highlight of our booth at G2E, as we showcased the Altius Glare cabinet with LED video walls. The slot titles currently available for the Altius Glare platform are Wheel of Legends, Seven Chests and Fu Shou Multigames, with up to 10 game themes and exclusive game mechanics. New titles will be added to our game library soon!

Now that pandemic concerns are no longer the main force affecting casinos and players, how is Zitro positioned to provide game content to casinos?

Our goal in the U.S. is to get the necessary regulatory approvals for us to expand and grow market share. We operate in three states: California, Florida and Oklahoma. However, we will be actively expanding into the Midwest and other markets throughout the Southwest in 2023.

Other than the games themselves, what other products and innovations does Zitro offer?

While the games are what the customers come to play, we recognize that packaging of the hardware and software with various accessories is strategic to improving game performance. You may have noticed that all of our games at G2E had spacers and endcaps to allow for marketing of the game content while providing a comfortable spacing between the games for the players. We also used the latest in LED sign technology to showcase the player experience of our games themes to allow players a preview before sitting in front of the cabinet.

How is Zitro positioned to provide content and technologies to online gaming?

Zitro has a digital division that is 100 percent focused on the distribution of content that has proven successful in land-based markets around the world. We already have a wide range of video bingos and video slots available, including such well-known products as Link King, Link Me and the recently launched 88 Link series. In less than a year, Zitro Digital’s product portfolio has grown tremendously, and increased users by 130 percent. Today we are live in several countries throughout Europe and Latin America, and we are looking to expand in the U.S. in the near future.

In general, how would you sum-up the postpandemic future for Zitro in Las Vegas and elsewhere in the world?

We are a growing company and feel our future is bright in all of the markets that we operate in. We are excited about the future as we look to expand on our vision of being a global leader in electronic gaming machines.

Finally, in your career in gaming, and with Zitro, what would you consider to be the highlights? I have been blessed to have had a lengthy career in this amazing industry. It is difficult to select a few highlights, as there have been so many over the years.

However, I am very excited about this next chapter, and I look forward to taking Zitro USA to new heights.

I would like to thank you, Derik, for your time, and for sharing this with us and our readers worldwide.