New G2 chief pledges to reclaim leading supplier spot

Walter Bugno has admitted that since GTECH G2 was formed from the acquisition of four gaming suppliers two years ago it has been too internally focused but that he is determined to “reclaim the leading positions it once had” following the merger of Lottomatica’s land-based and online divisions in October.

In an interview in the forthcoming March issue of eGaming Review, the new president and CEO of SPIELO International and GTECH G2 and former CEO of the casino division of Australian monopoly Tabcorp, told eGR that since taking up the dual role he has been travelling the globe assessing the business and is now confident it can re-emerge as a major force to be reckoned with.

Almost five years ago GTECH undertook a multi-million dollar acquisition spree buying sports betting supplier Finsoft; interactive betting developer Dynamite Idea; poker and casino software provider Boss Media; bingo white label business St Minver and used this as the basis with which to form G2, its end-to-end online gaming supplier business.

Bugno, however admitted that since G2’s formation its focus has been overly reliant on integration and getting internal issues resolved rather than ensuring the business delivered the best products to its 150 global customers.

“The focus has been too internal and things that have happened in the marketplace have gone by us. It has to be an issue of prioritisation.

“The first thing we have to do is become known as an extremely reliable supplier ““ the second thing we have to do is install a commitment and a pledge that our products will be second to none, and thirdly we have to assess our gaps and not catch up, but leapfrog those gaps [in poker, sports and mobile]. We have to reclaim the positions we had.

“We have some work to do on the process side and to integrate four different philosophies. But I feel we’re re-energised and I’m very focused on getting things right. There should be one commitment ““ to meet the continuous needs of our clients and to deliver what they want, when they want it. If we make a commitment to someone we have to live by that commitment,” he added.

A lifelong football supporter and former chairman of Sydney FC, a “fan’s favourite”, according to one Australian website, says he has only spent two days at his office desk in Monaco since the beginning of the year, mainly travelling to and from visiting its player services team in Gibraltar, its group company HQ in Italy and its new office in central London to learn as much as possible before implementing his strategy.

Working alongside G2’s player services team, for example, he said, has been one of the most valuable experiences since he originally joined SPIELO in July 2010. “I’m from the consumer goods industry and understanding the consumer is vital there, and so it should be the same in this industry. We are here to do one thing and one thing only, to satisfy their needs in whatever way possible.”

Bugno’s arrival has already had a positive impact. Alongside understanding his client’s players, he has insisted it focus on investing in certain product areas and in particular poker and its International poker network. G2 has also taken an early position in Spain with the Australian claiming that it has so far signed 15 clients and that it has a third of the service provider market share of the country’s casinos and media groups, while North America has more recently been an extremely successful territory with GTECH’s lottery connections opening the door for a Canadian poker network and a string of free-play poker deals in potentially regulating US states including California.

Read the full interview in the forthcoming March issue of eGaming Review.