“The top-performance WMS VLTs will enable us to offer top-quality products and an extensive product range to our customers,” said Fabio Schiavolin, Cogetech’s CEO. “We are convinced that our customers will appreciate our choice [and] we enhance our portfolio of game content.”

For WMS, of course, the order is not just about selling a few truckloads of terminals. It’s also a vote of confidence in the vendor from a significant operator which could enhance the vendor’s standing internationally and lead to other contracts. “We will optimise WMS’s ability to bring new gaming entertainment experiences to this market and create a path for further growth in international markets,” said Brian Gamache, WMS Industries’ CEO.

The Cogetech-WMS deal is just the latest in a series that has involved plenty of big numbers but, as yet, no clear leader on the supply side. Indeed, many operators appear to be opting for a multi-vendor approach. For example, Cogetech earlier ordered more than 2000 VLTs from Aristocrat Technologies’ ACE Interactive subsidiary, mostly its Viridian terminals, as well as game content, retailer site controllers and jackpot signage, all based on ACE’s TruServ server-based gaming systems.

In this case, familiarity rather than novelty appears to have clinched the sale: “Italian players are already used to Aristocrat’s game styles,” said Schiavolin.

When it comes to choosing their VLT vendors, then, operators like Cogetech are juggling a number of factors including the local appeal of game content, the functionality of the server-based network management system, and of course that all-important regulatory approval.

Atlantis World’s B Plus – the biggest operator, with nearly 12,000 of the 57,000-odd licences that were issued – recently placed an order for “at least” 1000 VLTs with Merkur Inspired, the partnership of Merkur Gaming and Inspired Gaming Group.

“Particularly when it comes to comparing the range of games on offer, Merkur Inspired seems to be leading the way with new and exciting content for VLTs and by having the largest range of games,” said B Plus CEO Alessandro La Monica.

Also helping land that order was approval from the Italian regulator, the AAMS, for Inspired’s Open VLT platform. Italy places stringent demands on technology suppliers, including a requirement that all random-number generation takes place on the servers at the heart of each VLT network, rather than on individual gaming devices.

Inspired is doing particularly well out of Italy. Another recent order for 1300 Open VLT terminals, including its HD Storm and Prospero cabinets, from Sisal Slot brought the total that the operator is buying from Inspired to 3300.

Sisal, however, has licences for nearly 5000 – and most operators seem not to have placed orders to the limit of their quota yet. It takes time to deploy the systems, and doubtless some are hoping to fund future installations with the income from their first rollouts. So it may be a long while before we hear cries of basta!.

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