WMS Industries Inc. : WMS To Provide Leading European Casino Operator, Groupe Partouche, with Hosted Online Casino Site in Belgium
04/27/2012| 10:35am US/Eastern

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First Business-to-Business Deployment of WMS' End-to-End Managed
Services Online Gaming Solution
WMS Industries Inc. (NYSE:WMS), a global leader in the design,
manufacture and distribution of games, gaming content and gaming
machines to the worldwide gaming industry, today announced that a wholly
owned WMS subsidiary has entered into an agreement with France-based
Groupe Partouche SA, (PARP.PA) one of Europe's largest casino operators
with nearly 50 casinos, to provide Groupe Partouche with a WMS-hosted
online casino site for residents of Belgium.
The joint operations agreement with Groupe Partouche represents the
first business-to-business (B2B) deployment of WMS' robust online gaming
solution, including the iGaming technology and platform that power the
successful, award-winning JackpotParty.com site, which made its
full-scale debut in the United Kingdom in January 2011. Players visiting
the new Groupe Partouche online site, branded under the familiar Casino
Knokke name, will have access to a diverse array of WMS' proven, premium
licensed and proprietary slot games as well as a number of
player-favorite card and table games, including Baccarat, Roulette,
Blackjack and Video Poker. The site will feature unique WMS online
gaming experiences including licensed game themes such as THE WIZARD
OF OZ™ and I LOVE LUCY™, and classic WMS games such as Super
Jackpot Party™, Goldfish™, Life of Luxury™ Progressive, Reel 'em
In™ and Zeus™ themed slot machines. In addition, players will
be able to enter the Jackpot Party Progressive™ - the first
accumulating online jackpot in the world that can be awarded on any
game, with any wager, at any time, completely at random.
Group Partouche presently operates four Belgian casinos and holds
licenses from the government to conduct online gaming in Belgium. The
WMS-hosted online casino will operate under one of nine online casino
licenses awarded by the Belgium Gaming Commission and is expected to go
live in summer 2012.
Orrin J. Edidin, President of WMS, said, "Groupe Partouche is an ideal
launch partner for our comprehensive iGaming B2B solutions. We look
forward to working collaboratively to create cross-marketing
opportunities that will complement their land-based casino operations by
providing players with the convenience of playing at home, in addition
to playing at the casino. This joint operation marks a significant
milestone in the execution of our online gaming strategy and expansion
plans. It establishes our comprehensive suite of B2B online gaming
capabilities and managed services offering as value-creating online
solutions for land-based casino operators seeking to move forward with
online gaming for their patrons."
Fabrice Paire, Chairman of Groupe Partouche, said, "This collaboration
with WMS is the obvious next step in our business development. As
Europe's leading casino operator, we are proud and delighted to be
working in close association with WMS, a global leader in both gaming
content and gaming machines, to now extend its gaming content to our
online customers through their iGaming platform.
Paire added, "The focus of the Partouche Group is to offer the very best
of online games and gaming experiences for our customers' entertainment;
and to position the Partouche brand as the premier benchmark in online
gaming in Belgium, as well as in our land-based Belgian and French
markets."
Edidin added, "Global markets are rapidly moving toward content
convergence and multi-channel distribution as consumers demand engaging
content across multiple platforms and ready access to their favorite
entertainment. WMS has established a successful online presence and a
record for responsible gaming and compliance in regulated markets. Our
more-than-60-year legacy of creating great content and games along with
our proven iGaming platform positions WMS as a premier partner for
casinos and gaming companies seeking a proven and integrated strategic
approach. Our customers can count on WMS to evolve with them and help
them stay connected to their players, wherever and however players find
it most convenient to seek out gaming entertainment today and in the
future."
WMS' JackpotParty.com site has had a very successful first year
of operations, which was recently capped with a Highly Commended
designation in the "Slots Operator of the Year" category at the
eGaming Review Awards and named "Best New Casino of 2011" by
Casinomeister. WMS' online strategy has been to develop and demonstrate
the robustness of the Company's online JackpotParty.com
technologies and end-to-end gaming capabilities in the United Kingdom;
and then to utilize its proven capabilities to expand into new markets
as a provider of value-creating online-ready solutions, offering a full
array of business-to-business products and services for land-based
casino operators ready to move forward with online gaming for their
patrons.
About Groupe Partouche
Since the opening of its first casino in 1973, Groupe Partouche has
expanded and diversified its casino and hotel interests to become an
industry leader in hospitality activities. Quoted on the Bourse de
Paris-Euronext (code ISIN FR0000053548), the Company operates casinos
and gaming websites, with an expansive offering from slot machines to
traditional casino games and poker, 21 hotels, 120 restaurants, spas and
golf resorts. With 5,600 employees and its 49 casinos (in France,
Belgium, Switzerland and Tunisia), Groupe Partouche offers the highest
standard of service to its patrons and well-regulated gaming areas. The
Company today is the European leader in poker tournaments with the
Partouche Poker Tour, offering 15 million euros in prize pools since its
creation. More information can be found at www.partouche.com.
Partouche - For the Love of the Game.
About WMS
WMS is engaged in serving the gaming industry worldwide by designing,
manufacturing and marketing games, video and mechanical reel-spinning
gaming machines, video lottery terminals and in gaming operations, which
consists of the placement of leased participation gaming machines in
legal gaming venues. The Company's online iGaming business develops and
markets products, services and end-to-end solutions that address global
online wagering and casual gaming opportunities. WMS is proactively
addressing the next stage of casino gaming floor evolution with its WAGE-NET®
networked gaming solution, a suite of systems technologies and
applications designed to increase customers' revenue generating
capabilities and operational efficiency. More information on WMS can be
found at www.wms.com
or visit the Company on Facebook,
Twitter
or YouTube.
I LOVE LUCY and related marks are trademarks of CBS Broadcasting
Inc. ©2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Images of Lucille
Ball & Desi Arnaz are licensed by Desilu, too, LLC. Unforgettable
Licensing.
THE WIZARD OF OZ and all related characters and elements are ™
and © Turner Entertainment Co. (s12) Judy Garland as Dorothy from THE
WIZARD OF OZ. (s12)

Groupe Partouche SA
Stéphanie Meily
Lewis PR
+32-3-466
01 88
Stephanie.meily@lewispr.com
or
Delphine
Kerfyser
Responsable Relations Presse
+ 33 1.47.64.33.45
dkerfyser@partouche.com
or
WMS
Industries Inc.
William H. Pfund
VP Investor Relations
847-785-3167
bpfund@wms.com
or
Joseph
N. Jaffoni or Richard Land
J C I R
212-835-8500
wms@jcir.com
© Business Wire 2012
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