Here are notes from meetings with some slot managers at G2E

Slot manager #1

  • They have 4 Michael Jacksons - doing great $1,100/day after fees.  Hearing that Grease is a hit or miss.
  • Liked ALL's stuff and good participation product but they are actively looking to reduce what they spend on participation.  Capping their payouts.  They are actively looking to reduce their IGT WAP footprint. 
  • Likes BYI's stuff.  Likes NASCAR a lot.  DM is good but expensive.
  • WMS reduced their fees to keep share but he doesn't think that they can support their existing footprint

Slot manager #2

  • Liked Pawn Stars (BYI)
  • 5-8% of his floor is participation  
  • Thought NASCAR was boring
  • Liked Speilo's Zombie game, Superman game (ALL), Buffalo and Wonder4 (ALL) especially for high limit
  • ALL had best showing in a while
  • Liked the V32 content for BYI
  • WMS's stuff last year was just terrible.  Colossal reels are doing well though.  They converted all their stuff to colossal reels.  He ordered 12 games but then didn't need them but WMS has been harassing them to buy them. Seems desperate.
  • In LV, everyone is waiting to see what happens.  August was a really bad month on the strip for occupancy and slot revs.  Sept was bad too.
  • Comp set is all down YoY for Revpar these last few months.  Just less people coming.  Occupancy was hit more than rate.  Rate down a few dollars.  Demand into NYE's doesn't look good either.
  • Was hearing for a while that LV Hilton would close but now it may stay afloat for a while
  • Tropicana was doing really bad.  Mid-week coin-in is in the $200,000 range.  Not doing any better post-renovation.
  • Cosmo sucking wind
  • IGT stuff that he's purchased has worked.  Likes the joystick games, Dolly Parton, and Family Guy.  IGT's Hot Roll is doing great.
  • BYI's V22's don't really do well on his floor
  • If he had his budget back, he would buy all IGT.  Konami games have recently fallen off in performance
  • Grease isn't doing great but Michael Jackson is doing really well even in a bad location
  • WMS: Clue was terrible as was Price is Right
  • IGT proposed getting an online site for them - for free - in exchange for an 80/20 when online becomes legal
  • No correlation between people who play electronic table games and live games
  • They set their hold to the max on all new games.  Most of their clients don't have a clue.
  • Doesn't see a lot of downside in slots - bottom out in 6-12 months and will likely just sit there
  • LVS's floor is all participation - at least 25% or so.  They have an option to buy out the games after a while.
  • BYI runs their system.  It was installed in 2008.