International Game Technology (IGT) has announced the closure of its electronic table games (ETG) division in 2027, marking a significant shift for the company following a recent wave of layoffs. This confirmation came from IGT spokesman Phill O'Shaughnessy on Tuesday. He stated that the decision aligns with the company’s focus on core business priorities and objectives for long-term growth. Despite the transition, O'Shaughnessy assured that IGT would continue to support its ETG clientele.
In 2024, IGT was taken private and merged with Everi Holdings in a transaction valued at $6.3 billion, backed by Apollo Global Management. Earlier this year, in March, the company had already cut approximately 10% of its global workforce. At that time, Hector Fernandez, the new CEO, communicated in an internal memo that these layoffs were intended to streamline the organization, enhance clarity, and quicken decision-making.
The merger resulted in the separation of IGT’s former lottery division, which became Brightstar Lottery, a publicly traded entity. Now, with the closure of the ETG division looming, it appears more cutbacks may be on the horizon under Apollo’s stewardship. In testimony to Nevada regulators in June 2025, Apollo partner Daniel Cohen lamented that the ETG business was trailing its primary competitors, Aristocrat and Light & Wonder. Cohen emphasized that his firm’s primary goal was to create long-term value from the acquisition.
"Our goal long term is to become the operator’s supplier," Cohen said, addressing regulators. "So if you’re the Venetian or Caesars or anyone else, you can come to IGT for basically every one of your product needs, which will allow us to continue to invest in products and innovate with our customers to really create the next generation of what casino technology products will look like."
Despite its small size relative to slot machines, IGT's ETG segment had been experiencing growth, with offerings that included electronic versions of blackjack, baccarat, and roulette. The company even expanded its renowned Wheel of Fortune brand to include an ETG format, aiming to leverage the brand's popularity to boost the category.
Luigi Cacciapuoti, IGT’s vice president of specialty product and ETG, explained the company's efforts to differentiate their new offerings from previous iterations. "We rewrote everything. Every line of code, everything is new, and we really want to offer something that at the same time would be exciting for the players and valuable for our customers. So we made sure that we are answering the needs of both," he stated in 2024.
Nevertheless, the ETG market has faced its share of challenges in growth, largely due to the substantial space these games require on casino floors. Slot machines typically generate greater revenue while occupying significantly less space, presenting a tough choice for casino floor managers. Moreover, ETGs have proven more popular in European and Asian markets compared to their reception in the United States.
Interblock, a leader in the ETG sector and also owned by private equity, had been rumored to be a potential acquisition target for Aristocrat. However, negotiations reportedly fell through due to a $200 million gap in price.
