Five Questions With: Marco Sala

"When I look at the future, I see two drivers in the gaming market: content and technology."

Marco Sala talked about the recent merger between GTECH and International Game Technology with Providence Business News. Sala, CEO of the new company, IGT, discussed some of the changes planned. Last month, the company announced that it would close its Main Street manufacturing plant in Coventry by the year’s end, affecting 44 employees, as manufacturing operations are shifting to Reno, Nev. The company plans to continue to employee more than 1,000 people in Rhode Island and 13,000 worldwide.

PBN: Will anything change in Providence, West Greenwich or Coventry as a result of the merger with IGT?
SALA:
We will see some changes in Rhode Island as we begin to integrate the two companies. Providence will remain one of our main operating headquarters, along with Las Vegas, Nevada, and Rome, Italy.
While some jobs will be transferred out of Rhode Island, other positions will be brought in to the state. We will continue to employ around 1,000-plus people in Rhode Island.

PBN: How will the merger strengthen the companies?
SALA:
Our new company is the leader in all of the major gaming segments, including gaming machines, lottery, interactive and social gaming. We have a diverse revenue mix of stable contracts through lottery and gaming machine operations, as well as an industry-leading position in the growth area of interactive, where DoubleDown Casino is the top seller. We have a well-established local presence and relationships with governments and regulators in more than 100 countries around the world, and create value by adhering to the highest standards of service, integrity and responsibility. IGT has approximately $6 billion in revenue.

PBN: Will Providence remain as the North American headquarters, or will that be shifted to Las Vegas?
SALA:
IGT’s global headquarters are based in London, with operating headquarters in Providence, R.I.; Las Vegas, Nev.; and Rome, Italy. Many of the corporate functions such as treasury, finance, human resources, corporate communications and legal will continue to be based in Providence. In addition, our lottery marketing services will continue to be based in Providence.

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PBN: Is the company committed to continuing to do business in Rhode Island?
SALA:
Absolutely. What some people may not know is the company that eventually became known as GTECH was started by two entrepreneurs, Guy Snowden and Victor Markowicz, right here in Rhode Island. In 1976, Guy and Victor, along with a handful of employees, worked out of an office building above Capriccio’s restaurant to serve their first customer, the Rhode Island Lottery. Today, we continue to value our long-term partnership with the Rhode Island Lottery. Rhode Island is an important part of our worldwide presence and we are committed to continuing to do business here. Our CEO of North America Lottery is based in Providence along with several other key positions. West Greenwich continues to be a main technology center in North America.

PBN: The merger unites GTECH, a lottery game operator, with IGT, a maker of gaming equipment, similar, but different companies — how did the merger come about? How long had it been in the works?
SALA:
When I look at the future, I see two drivers in the gaming market: content and technology. Players want to be able to play any game on any platform. If you are a fan of Wheel of Fortune you want to be able to buy the scratch card, play it at a machine in the casino or play it on your mobile phone. Our customers need us to provide best-in-class content across multiple platforms. This merger puts us in the forefront of both. Our gaming library includes the world’s best-selling games, and our technology from lottery to gaming machines to interactive is second to none.

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