Four years ago Patti Hart was the chief executive officer for Pinnacle Systems. She decided not to be involved full time with the gambling technology business. She wasn’t retiring completely, though. She took a position on the board of slot machine manufacturing giant, International Game Technology. She stated, herself, that she was not going to work full time again. By now you’ll realize that this is the beginning of this article so, clearly, Ms. Hart’s path was altered. After a board of directors meeting fellow International Gaming Technology board members approached her and offered her the chance to take on another CEO position. She accepted.
It has been a little over eight months, and Patti Hart has made some waves, gained some knowledge and is in the driver’s seat. Even though her resume in the technology field was impressive, as far as gambling goes, she had only made one trip to Las Vegas previous to her IGT appointment. That trip was for a convention. Since becoming CEO, however, she has logged thousands of air miles, learning the ins and outs of IGT. It has made her an international figure as she has been to Canada, Europe, Asia, and of course, crossed the United States. She said the traveling, “…gave me a better understanding of our different business models.” She was keen to state, “The fixed odds wagering business in the United Kingdom is different from the lottery situation in China, which is different from the Las Vegas Strip, which is different from public gaming in Canada.”
Hart is also dealing with a company that is in transition as far as the gambling industry goes. Not only are they coming off some economic problems, which caused some financial restructuring, streamlining, and cost cutting, but the casino providing industry is going through some changes as well. She feels that the slot machine world is moving away from a hardware based industry to software based. She also feels that the worlds of entertainment and technology are colliding. “I have great passions about both.”
She has also become much more acquainted with the Wall Street side of the business and has become attuned to the shareholders. She has also developed a productive relationship with the IGT’s board chairman. She feels the duties of chairman and CEO should be separated and she enjoys working with a partner.
