Apex Gaming of Austria was showing for the second time at AmEx in Dublin earlier this month.

"We were here in 2009, but didn’t come last year," the company’s Franz Plasser told InterGaming. "Things were so bad last year with the economy that we didn’t see the point in attending, but this year it makes more sense as things seem to be picking up here."

The Irish market is not a major one for Apex but the company has got a foot in the door due to its good games and reliable technology.

"The main reason we have managed to establish a small base here is the fact that we lease machines, something that has been valuable to operators during a period where money has been hard to come by," said Plasser. "We provide a rent or purchase option."

The company’s market share may be small but it is growing steadily. "There are lots of eastern Europeans now living and working here in Ireland who are familiar with our games," added Plasser. "For instance, there is a large Polish community.

"We were looking forward to new legislation here, but it seems the appointment of a new government will hold this up and we won’t see anything happening until at least 2013. We like clear regulation because it is better for us, the operator and the player."

Apex machines, which can be found in both arcades and casinos in Ireland, are now sited in 25 jurisdictions worldwide. "In 2009 we started to sell machines in Latin America and this has become a major market for us, particularly Mexico and Chile," said Plasser.