International Game Technology (IGT) plans to close its electronic table games division by 2027, following significant layoffs earlier this year. The announcement was confirmed by IGT spokesman Phill O'Shaughnessy, who stated this decision aligns with the company's focus on core business and long-term growth goals. He assured that IGT would maintain support for its electronic table game (ETG) customers throughout the transition.
The company, which was taken private and merged with Everi Holdings in a $6.3 billion deal under Apollo Global Management in 2024, had previously reduced its workforce by about 10% in March. At that time, new CEO Hector Fernandez explained in an internal memo that these layoffs aimed to streamline operations and enhance agility.
As part of the merger, IGT's lottery division was separated into the publicly traded Brightstar Lottery. ETGs now face a similar fate under Apollo's management. When Apollo partner Daniel Cohen addressed Nevada regulators in June 2025, he expressed concern over IGT's lag behind competitors Aristocrat and Light & Wonder, emphasizing that "long-term value creation" guided their strategic decisions.
Cohen communicated a vision for IGT to become the go-to supplier for major operators, stating, "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."
IGT's ETG sector, while smaller compared to slots, had been expanding, introducing games such as blackjack, baccarat, and roulette, as well as expanding its Wheel of Fortune brand into the ETG realm. Luigi Cacciapuoti, IGT’s vice president of specialty products and ETG, noted back in 2024 that they aimed to differentiate their new ETG offerings, stating, "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."
Despite this growth, the ETG market faces obstacles due to the considerable space these games occupy on casino floors, which limits their appeal compared to slot machines that generate higher revenue while occupying less space. Moreover, ETGs enjoy more popularity in European and Asian markets than in the United States.
Additionally, the ETG market leader Interblock was once speculated to be an acquisition target for Aristocrat, but negotiations reportedly fell through over a valuation gap of $200 million.
