GTECH strengthens team to focus on Central America and Caribbean

Italian gaming and lottery supplier GTECH has appointed Erik Mena as the company’s new sales manager for the Central America and Caribbean regions.

Mena will provide dedicated support and consulting services to GTECH customers across the regions, and will report to Jessica Luna, GTECH sales director for Latin America and the Caribbean Regions.

He will be based at the GTECH office in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

“I am very pleased to have Erik Mena on our Regional Sales Team,” said Luna. “His experience will be an asset to our 2014 commercial growth plan and targeted market assessment. I am convinced that he will provide a dynamic approach to service and dedication to the Islands and the emerging markets in Central America.

“Erik will help us to build on our successful product portfolio and our recognized after-sales-service as he contributes to our strategic plan for Latin America.”
 
GTECH added that Mena is “well suited” to support the new GTECH sales strategies and business goals in his assigned jurisdictions.

Mena brings with him more than ten years of experience as a marketing professional in the Central America and Caribbean regions, having most recently serced as business development specialist for MenaWork Co. He has prior experience at United Brands Company, Vinicola del Norte and Monster Energy, and has specialized in brand development and management, supply chain management, mergers and acquisitions, and international negotiation strategies.

In related news, GTECH recently signed a seven-year contract extension to continue providing lottery technology and marketing services for the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) of Trinidad and Tobago.

The seven-year term will automatically extend for an additional three-year period through March 11th 2024.

The NLCB is the exclusive lottery operator in Trinidad and Tobago, with GTECH as its sole lottery technology provider since 1993. This is the fifth extension of the original contract to be awarded to GTECH.

“Over the past four years, NLCB's total lottery sales have grown nearly 40 per cent, mainly driven by the development and optimization of its portfolio suite of games, including new games and features, a new game matrix, and promotions for players,” said GTECH Americas president and CEO Jaymin Patel. “In particular, the NLCB saw its instants portfolio grow by more than 50 per cent in the past three years alone, with the introduction of new products, games, and price points.

“Going forward, we will continue working closely with the NLCB to bring more new games and marketing initiatives to the local market to further increase sales, maximizing the NLCB’s contribution for Sports and Culture Funds,” he said.

GTECH will replace the current central system with its Enterprise Series solution, while the company’s Altura GT1200 terminals will replace the NLCB’s existing terminals and will serve to expand the retailer base from 900 to 1,200.

In addition, GTECH will deliver 500 Ticket-Scan Plus machines, the company’s self-service ticket checkers allowing players secure access when identifying winning tickets; deploy its ES MultiMedia technology that will allow NLCB to manage, distribute, and display multimedia content such as games, advertising, transactions, and messaging through a single point of control; and install its Gemini Lottery Vending Machines for draw-based and instant-ticket games.