The first video lottery terminals to be produced  by major Austrian developer amatic have gone into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the company confirmed.  Managing Director Reinhold Bauer told us that the company had completed development of the VLT and Gone through the licensing procedure before releasing news that the ‘Gap in our product line had been filled.’

He added: “The VLT will present opportunities- we can take it to a variety of other markets and during the course of this year it will start to appear elsewhere.”  It was a response to a request from customers, a process which the company has exhibited before, for example building a single-player upright of its top-selling Grand Jeu multiplayer roulette game for the Spanish market last year.  “We try to react to what customers ask us to do,” he said.  In the same way the company was the first in Europe –12 years ago – to launch a multigame gambling product.

      He was also able to announce that the company will switch  to a Linux software  platform this year, abandoning Windows.  “The reason is that it is more compact, efficient and stable.”
      In other developments, Amatic continues to prosper in the UK casinos market where it scored with the largest roulette installation in the Westcliffe Casino.  Now the company is shipping consignments of its video slot machines into the same market through its distributor Genesis.  “We are positioning ourselves for the expansion which is coming in the British casino business,” said Bauer.

      Among other top markets currently, is Germany, where the company is represented by Bally-Wulff.  Video slots are going into both the street market and casinos in Germany.  Russia too is prospering and the company has signed some significant orders in other eastern European countries.