Still on the rise

Video lottery terminals continue their global expansion

The video lottery terminal is one of those products that has links to both gaming worlds – the street market and the casino sector.

The VLT has found success in the street market in places like Italy (in arcades and bars) and the UK (betting shops), but that success has attracted the attention of the major casino slot machine manufacturers, many of whom have been busy developing VLT products.

Greece seems likely to provide the next big VLT market and no doubt others will follow suit. From a jurisdictional viewpoint, governments tend to like VLTs. Not only do they generate revenue, they are also transparent due to the ease of central monitoring.

In fact, it is this server-based element that provides flexibility for all concerned. The player gets variety of game play, the operator has instant control of game changes and the jurisdiction is rewarded with complete transparency.

Because all the terminals are part of a network, the player gets the chance of hitting high jackpots. From the operator’s viewpoint, total control in real time is attractive, as is the possibility of being able to set alarms for a number of events and problems.

All these are reasons why the VLT appears to be bucking the global economic downward trend. Italy can be seen as a microcosm of this. Despite the poor state of its economy, the performance of VLTs in the country has exceeded initial expectations. And this is despite an unwelcome and unforeseen tax hike introduced recently.

Today’s VLT, however, is markedly different to the first ones to arrive on the scene in the US back in the 1980s. The name ‘video lottery terminal’ was devised for political reasons at the time and it referred to Class III slot machines linked to a central system. There was, however, limited functionality between the two.

This feature can be read in full in the June 2012 issue of InterGaming magazine