AGS Acquires War Blackjack

Slot manufacturer American Gaming Systems, which has spent the past few years in an effort to expand its business in the U.S. Class III slot market, is entering the table game business. The company announced that it will purchase Casino War Blackjack and its suite of table games, notably War Blackjack.

“We couldn’t be more confident in the quality of War Blackjack to kick off our inauguration into the table games business,” said David Lopez, chief executive officer of AGS.

“Blackjack is the most popular table game in North America, and War is a fun, widely recognized game that is easy to learn. War Blackjack elevates the traditional blackjack experience by empowering the player to engage in an optional game of War prior to the blackjack game. If the player chooses, he can take his winnings from the War pre-game and increase his current blackjack wager. This creates a one-of-a-kind blackjack experience that is both exciting and suspenseful.”

The acquisition is part of a major change in AGS’ product lineup, which started with the acquisition of Colossal Games and the revamping of the company’s slot development and management team under new CEO Lopez. Former CEO Robert Miodunski retired early in the year, and the company parted ways with Sales VP Paul Lofgren and Slot Development VP Olaf Vancura.

Colossal Gaming, which was founded by former Casino Data Systems founder and CEO Steve Weiss, specializes in giant novelty slot machines and quirky, unusual standard slots. Weiss now runs Colossal as a division of AGS.