Way back in 1999 when two friends built and sold their first 9 electro mechanic roulettes, their following year’s projections were to improve on this number, and even double the figures. As Loris Pozar and David Kobal continued to build Gold Club d.o.o. in Slovenia, sales in the new millennium reached 24 roulettes, and by 2001 they had moved into three digit sales. The popular games were sold locally but as demand grew the Gold Club brand was seen first in trade shows in Europe, and then at the major shows in London and Las Vegas. By the end of 2003 the Gold Club roulettes were at both Buenos Aires expos, to test the waters in that region.

In nearly seven years the company has grown from 5 employees to 68 in their factory in Cezana, some 20 miles from the quaint capital city of Ljubljana. Involved in the whole production, sales and after sales service are another 200 people, as the Gold Club roulettes get shipped from Slovenia to countries as far away as Venezuela. Being a young and dynamic company in Europe’s gateway to the East, the majority of the company’s employees are young people, with a can-do attitude and unburdened by limitations.

As could be expected, turnover at Gold Club has kept pace with growth and audited figures for the year 2003 reported sales of 665 units and saw revenues reach US$25 million, close to 100% up on the 2002 figures of US$13 million. Net profit after tax for 2003 was around US$3.75 million. Gold Club has formed a number of additional companies for manufacturing and distribution of its automated roulettes, and these include Gold Club Moscow in Russia, Gold Club Zagreb in Croatia, Gold Club UK and Gold Club Macedonia, as well as several gaming ventures in Slovenia and overseas.

A VISION THAT WORKS
Gold Club invests a great deal of financial and other resources into R&D, and the development of their latest products are a direct result of such efforts, all the way from the design concept. Using the latest technology in their products and their own production process, the company is focused in an ongoing process of improvements and innovation. Covering all phases of the production process in-house at first, Gold Club has the potential, flexibility and high response times needed when changes are required. Rapid expansion, however, has meant that at present only the final assembly is performed in-house.

The company has taken great care with the selection of their software development team, also highly responsive and used to a variety of different requirements, in order to comply with regulations in various gaming jurisdictions. With a corporate mandate of staying flexible with regard to all product parts, Gold Club is extremely careful to use only high quality suppliers.

THE GLOBAL MARKET Those who have had the good fortune to visit Slovenia will have realized that apart from seeing the spires of churches lining the countryside, there are the turquoise waters of the Adriatic and the ski slopes on the Alps all within an hour’s drive. All this beauty aside, local companies do outgrow their home markets and have to look farther afield to place their products. Right now Gold Club’s production is strictly export oriented, with more than 95% of their output bringing good returns to casinos everywhere.

Gold Club roulettes have been exported to numerous European countries, including Russia with 40% of sales, Czech Republic 30% of sales, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, and Ireland, at the time of going to press. Additionally, Gold Club products are also present in smaller numbers in Asia, such as Macau and Indonesia, and in some other countries like Venezuela and Jordan.

The company works in close collaboration with numerous distributors and associates all over the world, and has a presence at the following gaming expos: Nuremberg, London, Prague, Kiev, Las Vegas, Buenos Aires, Macau, Moscow and Rome. Next month Gold Club will be present at the first expo in Central America, in Panama, where they will feature their latest product: The American Roulette 8. With a proactive approach to marketing and sales, the company also runs gaming venues in partnership with local companies that install their roulettes.

Slovenia, as the largest supplier of automated roulettes in the world, has three companies in the top 10 roulette manufacturers, and it is estimated that Gold Club is the biggest Slovenian manufacturer of these products. According to the company, the reason for their leadership in this field is down to the use of their own products in their gaming venues, which enables them to learn the best way possible about product performance and clients’ needs. (E-04.27.05)

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