Malta’s National Lottery becomes first gaming operator outside the US to offer HHR solutions supporting international expansion for IGT and Exacta Systems

LONDON, July 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — International Game Technology PLC (“IGT”) (NYSE: IGT) and Churchill Downs Incorporated (“CDI”) (Nasdaq: CHDN) announced today that they have expanded their HHR technology footprints to Malta via an agreement with National Lottery plc, a subsidiary of IZI Group. Per the agreement, IGT product will initially represent 100-percent HHR floor share at National Lottery’s first HHR venue, IZIBINGO situated in St. Paul’s Bay, and Exacta Services, Inc., a subsidiary of CDI, will power the property’s gaming floor with its Exacta Connect® system solution. IGT and Exacta will also power HHR at several other National Lottery gaming venues throughout the island. These landmark deployments mark the world’s first HHR technology deployment outside of the U.S.

National Lottery plc will launch its HHR offering with more than 80 IGT HHR games on proven IGT hardware including the PeakSlant™49, PeakSlant32 and Cobalt™27 cabinets. Players will have the opportunity to enjoy HHR-versions of award-winning games such as Prosperity Link™ and player-favorite IGT classic games such as Cleopatra™ Gold, Wolf™ Run Gold and Stinkin’ Rich Skunks Gone Wild! ™. Exacta Connect® will be the driving force with its all-in-one pari-mutuel system, ensuring the gaming floors are compliant, running smoothly, and driving handle.

“Exacta is thrilled to announce our new partnership with IZI Group and IGT in Malta,” said Jeff Lind, Exacta Systems President, “which marks an exciting first step towards our international expansion. The flexibility of our Exacta Connect system in adapting to different markets and legislative environments, coupled with the thrill of HHR gaming, continues to drive this growth.”

“We are excited to launch the first-ever HHR offering outside the USA,” said Johann Schembri, National Lottery plc Chief Executive Officer. “This first installation at IZIBINGO and other sites within our lottery network in the coming weeks is the result of extensive efforts and represents a significant step in our mission to innovate the operations of the National Lottery. Our collaboration with Exacta and IGT, two of the world’s leading technology providers in this market, enables us to establish the ideal showcase for this offering, as we endeavor to expand this concept internationally.”

“Expanding our Historical Horse Racing footprint in Malta is an exciting growth milestone for IGT and a testament to the quality and global relevance of our HHR content and hardware portfolio,” said Nick Khin, IGT Chief Operating Officer, Gaming. “By offering players HHR-versions of highly popular IGT games such as Prosperity Link and Cleopatra, National Lottery plc is extending the reach of some of the gaming industry’s most celebrated content in a format that players readily enjoy.”

About IGT
IGT (NYSE:IGT) is a global leader in gaming. We deliver entertaining and responsible gaming experiences for players across all channels and regulated segments, from Lotteries and Gaming Machines to Sports Betting and Digital. Leveraging a wealth of compelling content, substantial investment in innovation, player insights, operational expertise, and leading-edge technology, our solutions deliver unrivaled gaming experiences that engage players and drive growth. We have a well-established local presence and relationships with governments and regulators in more than 100 jurisdictions around the world and create value by adhering to the highest standards of service, integrity, and responsibility. IGT has approximately 11,000 employees. For more information, please visit www.igt.com. For more information on IGT, visit IGT.com, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X, or watch IGT videos on YouTube.

About Churchill Downs Incorporated
Churchill Downs Incorporated (“CDI”) (Nasdaq: CHDN) has been creating extraordinary entertainment experiences for over 150 years, beginning with the company’s most iconic and enduring asset, the Kentucky Derby. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, CDI has expanded through the development of live and historical racing entertainment venues, the growth of the TwinSpires horse racing online wagering business and the operation and development of regional casino gaming properties. www.churchilldownsincorporated.com.

About Exacta Systems
Exacta Services, Inc., is a subsidiary of Exacta Systems, LLC, the pioneering technology driving growth in new and existing HHR markets. Owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN), Exacta Connect’s robust and uniquely flexible system architecture supports multiple game vendors and virtually unlimited math modeling capabilities on a single system, enabling Exacta to deliver a diverse gaming library with second-to-none entertainment experiences. www.exactasystems.com.

About National Lottery plc
National Lottery plc is the exclusive concessionaire for the national lottery of Malta. It forms part of the IZI Group, Malta’s foremost land-based gaming operator, with commercial interests in lotteries, casinos, electronic gaming machines and sports betting. National Lottery plc is an equal opportunities company and one of the largest privately-owned groups providing full-time employment to over 550 employees. For more information, please visit www.izigroup.com.

IGT Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements (including within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning International Game Technology PLC and its consolidated subsidiaries (the “Company”) and other matters. These statements may discuss goals, intentions, and expectations as to future plans, trends, events, products and services, customer relationships, results of operations, or financial condition, or otherwise, based on current beliefs of the management of the Company as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, such management. Forward-looking statements may be accompanied by words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “plan,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “shall,” “continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project” or the negative or other variations of them. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which such statements are made and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside the Company’s control. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those predicted in the forward-looking statements and from past results, performance, or achievements. Therefore, you should not place undue reliance on such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to) the factors and risks described in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F for the financial year ended December 31, 2023 and other documents led from time to time with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on the investor relations section of the Company’s website at www.IGT.com. Except as required under applicable law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. You should carefully consider these factors and other risks and uncertainties that affect the Company’s business. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to International Game Technology PLC, or persons acting on its behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

CDI Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains various “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “scheduled,” and similar words or similar expressions (or negative versions of such words or expressions), although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Important factors, that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include the following: the occurrence of extraordinary events, such as terrorist attacks, public health threats, civil unrest, and inclement weather, including as a result of climate change; the effect of economic conditions on our consumers’ confidence and discretionary spending or our access to credit, including the impact of inflation; additional or increased taxes and fees; the impact of any pandemics, epidemics, or outbreaks of infectious diseases, including possible new variants of COVID-19, and related economic matters on our results of operations, financial conditions and prospects; lack of confidence in the integrity of our core businesses or any deterioration in our reputation; loss of key or highly skilled personnel, as well as general disruptions in the general labor market; the impact of significant competition, and the expectation that competition levels will increase; changes in consumer preferences, attendance, wagering, and sponsorships; risks associated with equity investments, strategic alliances and other third-party agreements; inability to respond to rapid technological changes in a timely manner; concentration and evolution of slot machine and historical racing machine (HRM) manufacturing and other technology conditions that could impose additional costs; failure to enter into or maintain agreements with industry constituents, including horsemen and other racetracks; inability to successfully focus on market access and retail operations for our TwinSpires sports betting business and effectively compete; online security risk, including cyber-security breaches, or loss or misuse of our stored information as a result of a breach including customers’ personal information could lead to government enforcement actions or other litigation; reliance on our technology services and catastrophic events and system failures disrupting our operations; inability to identify, complete, or fully realize the benefits of our proposed acquisitions, divestitures, development of new venues or the expansion of existing facilities on time, on budget, or as planned; difficulty in integrating recent or future acquisitions into our operations; cost overruns and other uncertainties associated with the development of new venues and the expansion of existing facilities; general risks related to real estate ownership and significant expenditures, including risks related to environmental liabilities; personal injury litigation related to injuries occurring at our racetracks; compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other similar laws and regulations, or applicable anti-money laundering regulations; payment-related risks, such as risk associated with fraudulent credit card or debit card use; work stoppages and labor problems; risks related to pending or future legal proceedings and other actions; highly regulated operations and changes in the regulatory environment could adversely affect our business; restrictions in our debt facilities limiting our flexibility to operate our business; failure to comply with the financial ratios and other covenants in our debt facilities and other indebtedness; increases to interest rates (due to inflation or otherwise), disruption in the credit markets or changes to our credit ratings may adversely affect our business; increase in our insurance costs, or inability to obtain similar insurance coverage in the future, and any inability to recover under our insurance policies for damages sustained at our properties in the event of inclement weather and casualty events; and other factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

IGT Contact:
Phil O’Shaughnessy, Global Communications, toll free in U.S./Canada +1 (844) IGT-7452; outside U.S./Canada +1 (401) 392-7452
Francesco Luti, +39 06 5189 9184; for Italian media inquiries
James Hurley, Investor Relations, +1 (401) 392-7190

CDI Contact:
Investor Contact: Sam Ullrich
(502) 638-3906
Sam.Ullrich@kyderby.com

© 2024 IGT

© Copyright Exacta Systems 2024

The trademarks and/or service marks used herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of IGT, its affiliates or its licensors.

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SOURCE International Game Technology PLC