Take Casinos Austria International (CAI), for example. It doesn’t have permission to operate VLTs itself, so it’s teamed up with Italy’s Cogetech – which holds around 5000 licences – to launch a chain of “mini casinos” offering the new high-stake slots.

The latest of the Vincendo-branded venues has opened in the spa resort of Merano, close to Italy’s border with Austria, with 60 VLTs. It follows the chain’s debut in Milan at the end of last year, and will soon be joined by a pair of rather larger venues with 100 VLTs apiece (like Milan), scheduled to open in Ancona and Prato this summer. Another site similar in size to Merano’s is also being set up in Varese.

Eventually, CAI  – which owns three quarters of the joint venture – and Cogetech hope to have 1800 units deployed around the country, implying around 20 locations.

Said director Alexander Artmann of the new Merano mini casino: “We have a great gaming mix with 60 VLTs, sports betting and some exciting jackpot opportunities. We will be combining this with a warm welcome, friendly service and an attractive bar and cocktail lounge. With the right level of personal service, a VLT outlet can be far more than just a slot parlour, and we are certain our venue will be a valuable addition to the Merano entertainment scene and provide the town with a further great tourist attraction.”

Meanwhile, another partnership – the Merkur Inspired lash-up of Inspired Gaming Group and Merkur Gaming – is bringing Konami Gaming content to the Italian VLT market. Merkur’s parent, the Gauselmann Group, has previously supplied Konami games in its home territory of Germany.

Said Giacomo Bozzini, general manager at Merkur Inspired: “Having two strong partners out of the industry as shareholders of the joint venture, we now offer the widest range of ergonomic cabinets with an extensive library of top-performing games.”

And such partnerships are likely to increase in number as the Italian VLT market grows; see p12 this issue for more on the new VLT concessions that the regulator plans to grant.

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