Press release: 2003-04-04: Shuffle Master Plans Acquisition of Certain Sega Gaming Assets Primarily for North America Gaming Market

This is an unaltered copy of a press release, for use as a primary source on Sega Retro. Please do not edit the contents below. Language: English Original source: Business Wire

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 4, 2003--Shuffle Master, Inc. (Nasdaq:SHFL) announced today that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire certain assets and intellectual property rights owned by Sega Gaming Technology, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sega Corporation of Japan. Upon completion of Shuffle Master's due diligence and the execution of the definitive purchase agreement, the acquisition is expected to close in the next several weeks.

Upon closing, Shuffle Master will acquire certain current inventory and will receive licenses to certain intellectual property rights relating to multi-player games referred to as Royal Ascot, Royal Derby, Sega Blackjack, Bingo Party and Roulette Club, primarily for the North American gaming market. In addition, Shuffle Master plans to expand these gaming products by incorporating several of its table games, such as Let It Ride(R) and Three Card Poker(R), in this electronic form for racinos and other casino markets.

Shuffle Master, Inc. is a gaming equipment supply company that develops, manufactures and markets innovative technology-based products and services to the casino industry, including card shufflers and other table gaming equipment, table and slot games, and gaming machine software and related hardware. The Company was ranked: the 35th best small company in America by Forbes magazine in its October 2002 survey; the 25th fastest growing small company by Fortune Small Business(C) magazine in June 2002; and named to the S&P Smallcap 600 Index in April 2002. Information about the Company and its products can be found on the Internet at www.shufflemaster.com.

This release contains forward looking statements. Such statements reflect and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in the level of consumer or commercial acceptance of the Company's existing products and new products as introduced; competitive advances; acceleration and/or deceleration of various product development and roll out schedules; higher than expected manufacturing, service, selling, administrative, product development and/or roll out costs; current and/or future litigation or claims; changes to the Company's intellectual property portfolio, such as loss of licenses, claims of infringement or invalidity of patents; regulatory and jurisdictional issues involving the Company and its products specifically or the gaming industry in general; general and casino industry economic conditions; and the risks and factors described from time to time in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contacts
For Shuffle Master, Inc.
Tom Ryan/Don Duffy
Investor Relations Advisors
Phone: 203/222-9013
Fax: 203/222-9372
or
Mark L. Yoseloff, Chairman and CEO
Gerald W. Koslow, Sr. Vice President, CFO
Phone: 702/897-7150
Fax: 702/270-5161