Nevada’s IGT, a manufacturer of slots and other machine-based
casino games, today reported its best first-quarter performance in four years.
Officials at the
Reno-based company told investors that total income, spurred by North American
sales and social gaming, offset a 4 percent decline in its gaming division.
Among the company’s
highlights for the first quarter of fiscal 2013:
• Revenue
increased 19 percent over last year, from $445.5 million to $530 million.
• Income from
North American product sales jumped 54 percent. This was primarily attributed
to an increase in sales of video lottery terminals in new Canadian and Illinois
gaming markets.
• Social gaming
revenue increased 15 percent from the fourth quarter of last year to $41
million, as IGT's Double
Down Casino became the third-largest grossing app on
Facebook and the No. 6 highest earning app on the iPad. Like most gaming
companies, IGT began offering casino games on social media sites in recent
years to increase the company's reach and profits.
“We are making
progress in many areas,” CEO Patti Hart said. “In a challenging environment,
our franchise continues to lead the market. We are building on a stable
foundation that will only get better.”