International Game Technology PLC Subsidiary Lottomatica Enters into Consortium to Bid for Italian Lotto Concession

LONDON, March 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lottomatica, a subsidiary of International Game Technology PLC ("IGT") (NYSE: IGT), has entered into a consortium to bid for the Italian Lotto tender. In addition to Lottomatica, consortium members include Italian Gaming Holding (IGH), a subsidiary of SAZKA Group a.s. and EMMA Capital LTD; Arianna 2001 S.p.A., an entity affiliated with the Federation of Italian Tobacconists; and Novomatic Italia S.p.A. The consortium members bring the strategic and operational expertise and financial resources to deliver an unparalleled solution to provide for the continued success of the Lotto game in Italy. 

Under the terms of the consortium agreement, Lottomatica will serve as the principal operating partner to fulfill the requirements of the Lotto license. The consortium submitted its bid on March 16, 2016, in accordance with the submission deadline for the Lotto tender.

If the consortium is awarded the Lotto concession, a joint venture company will be established.  Lottomatica will have 61.5% equity ownership and IGH, Arianna 2001, and Novomatic Italia will have 32.5%, 4%, and 2% share, respectively.  Lottomatica will appoint a majority of the joint venture board and will enter into a contract with the joint venture to provide technology products and services for the Lotto.  

If the parties are unable to reach agreement upon certain specified matters or if the joint venture's cash flow generated in the first year of operation falls below a pre-determined level, IGH may put its entire joint venture interest to Lottomatica and, in certain cases, Lottomatica may exercise a call option to acquire IGH's entire joint venture interest.

Tomorrow, (Thursday, March 17), IGT will host a conference call at 8:00 a.m. EDT / 12:00 p.m. GMT / 1:00 p.m. CET to present its fourth quarter and full year 2015 results. Listeners may access a live webcast of the conference call along with accompanying slides under "News, Events and Presentations" on IGT's Investor Relations website at www.IGT.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the website following the live event. To listen by telephone, the dial in number is +44 (0) 20 3427 1904 for participants in the United Kingdom and +1-646-254-3362 for listeners outside the United Kingdom. The conference ID/confirmation code is 6623346. A telephone replay of the call will be available for one week at +44 (0) 20 3427 0598 or +1-347-366-9565 using the conference ID/confirmation code 6623346.

About IGT
IGT (NYSE:IGT) is the global leader in gaming. We enable players to experience their favorite games across all channels and regulated segments, from Gaming Machines and Lotteries to Interactive and Social Gaming. Leveraging a wealth of premium content, substantial investment in innovation, in-depth customer intelligence, operational expertise and leading-edge technology, our gaming solutions anticipate the demands of consumers wherever they decide to play. We have a well-established local presence and relationships with governments and regulators in more than 100 countries around the world, and create value by adhering to the highest standards of service, integrity, and responsibility. IGT has approximately 13,000 employees. For more information, please visit www.IGT.com.

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 IGT and other matters. These statements may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future plans, trends, events, dividends, results of operations or financial condition, or otherwise, based on current beliefs of the management of IGT 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 are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside IGT'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 the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to) risks that the businesses of International Game Technology and GTECH S.p.A. will not be integrated successfully, or that the combined companies will not realize estimated cost savings, synergies, growth or other anticipated benefits or that such benefits may take longer to realize than expected; risk that the Company will be unable to pay future dividends to shareholders or that the amount of such dividends may be less than anticipated; risks relating to unanticipated costs of integration of the two companies; reductions in customer spending; a slowdown in customer payments and changes in customer demand for products and services; unanticipated changes relating to competitive factors in the industries in which the company operates; ability to hire and retain key personnel; the potential impact of the consummation of the business combination on relationships with third parties, including customers, employees and competitors; ability to attract new customers and retain existing customers in the manner anticipated; reliance on and integration of information technology systems; changes in legislation or governmental regulations affecting the company; international, national or local economic, social or political conditions that could adversely affect the company or its customers; conditions in the credit markets; risks associated with assumptions the company makes in connection with its critical accounting estimates and legal proceedings; and the company's international operations, which are subject to the risks of currency fluctuations and foreign exchange controls. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties that affect IGT's business, including those described in IGT's annual report on Form 20-F for the financial year ended December 31, 2014 and other documents filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which are available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov and on the investor relations section of IGT's website at www.IGT.com. Except as required under applicable law, IGT does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements. Nothing in this news release is intended, or is to be construed, as a profit forecast or to be interpreted to mean that earnings per IGT share for the current or any future financial years will necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings per IGT share, as applicable. 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 IGT, or persons acting on its behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

Contact:
Robert K. Vincent, Corporate Communications,  toll free in U.S./Canada (844) IGT-7452; outside U.S./Canada (401) 392-7452
James Hurley, Investor Relations, (401) 392-7190
Simone Cantagallo, (+39) 06 51899030; for Italian media inquiries

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SOURCE IGT