IGT Dropping ETGs

Following an extensive round of layoffs earlier this year, slot giant International Game Technology will shut down its electronic table games division in 2027, the company confirmed to iGaming Business.

IGT spokesman Phil O’Shaughnessy said the move was made “as part of our focus on core business priorities and long-term growth objectives.” He said the company “will continue to provide its ETG customers with the level of support they expect” during the transition.

The supplier, which was acquired, taken private and merged with Everi Holdings in a $6.3 billion deal under Apollo Global Management in 2024, previously cut about 10 percent of its global workforce in March.

At that time, new CEO Hector Fernandez said in an internal memo that the layoffs were meant to “simplify our structure, reduce duplication and enable us to move with greater clarity and speed.”

IGT’s former lottery division was spun off as part of the merger, which became the publicly traded Brightstar Lottery, and ETGs appear to be next on the chopping block under Apollo.

The company’s ETG business was small compared to slots, but it had been growing in recent years, including both systems and games. Its offerings included blackjack, baccarat and roulette ETGs. IGT had also expanded its famous Wheel of Fortune franchise to an ETG format, hoping the brand would help grow the sector.

Overall, the ETG sector has faced challenges in its growth efforts, primarily due to the large amounts of space needed for the games on casino floors. Most slots generate more revenue than ETGs and take up far less space, which is always a difficult sacrifice for floor managers. The games are far more popular in European and Asian markets than in the U.S.