Electronic table games (ETGs) supplier Interblock dd says it is acquiring “specific assets” related to electronic table game technology from Aruze Gaming America Inc.
“The transaction marks a significant step in Interblock’s ongoing growth strategy,” the firm said in a press release issued on Thursday. “The acquisition of Aruze’s electronic table game assets helps to accelerate several of Interblock’s strategic initiatives,” the Slovenia-based gaming supplier added.
Interblock stated it planned to integrate Aruze’s electronic table games product line into its portfolio, expanding Interlock’s overall workforce to more than 700 employees worldwide. “The company is committed to a seamless transition of support, service, and excellence, leveraging its robust support structure,” Interlock said.
The firm is represented by U.S.-based law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP in the transaction.
No financial details of the agreement were disclosed.
The press release quoted John Connelly, global chief executive of Interblock, as saying that “the Aruze acquisition creates a significant portfolio of innovative synergies we intend to bring to the market before the end of this calendar year.”
He added: “As we continue to differentiate ourselves in the gaming industry, this acquisition empowers us to offer a broader range of high-quality, innovative gaming solutions to our valued partners in both a traditional and online offering.”
On Monday, Las Vegas-based Empire Technological Group Ltd dba Play Synergy had announced a deal to acquire Aruze’s slot operations, “including land-based assets and online gaming”.
Aruze, a casino slot machine and electronic table game supplier, is due to close its Las Vegas, Nevada, headquarters next month, and lay off 100 workers. That is according to a notice filed by the company with the authorities in that U.S. state, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper.
In February, Aruze filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the United States’ Bankruptcy Code, in “the wake” of a “judgement against Aruze resulting from a separate judgment against Aruze’s shareholder”. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Aruze’s sole shareholder is Japanese businessman Kazuo Okada.
The media outlet reported that the judgement that had led to Aruze’s bankruptcy protection request was related to an unpaid ‘success fee’ owed by Mr Okada to Bartlit Beck LLP. The latter is a law firm that represented the Japanese businessman in a legal dispute against Wynn Resorts Ltd: that dispute ended in a 2018 settlement for US$2.4 billion in favour of Universal Entertainment Corp, a firm founded by Mr Okada.
