Galaxy Gaming’s success at G2E was apparent. In addition to showcasing its table games and online content portfolio, Galaxy Gaming celebrated its one-year anniversary as holder of exclusive distribution rights for EZ Baccarat, the No. 1 baccarat proprietary brand in the US and Canadian casino gaming industry.
The tradeshow festivities were headlined by the announcement that EZ Baccarat has been enhanced with Galaxy Gaming’s Golden Talons and Divine 9 side bets at no additional cost, giving the game these popular side bet options in addition to EZ Baccarat’s proprietary and exclusive Panda 8 and Dragon 7.
EZ Baccarat, co-created and co-owned by Francisco “TJ” Tejeda and Robin Powell, longtime partners who also are principals of The Talisman Group, found a perfect home with Galaxy Gaming.
“The 15 years of knowledge and empirical experience that our company brought to the table was a valuable asset,” Tejeda said, establishing the foundation for the standards they considered most important when selecting a company to grant exclusive distribution rights for EZ Baccarat.
“We saw that a company the size of Galaxy would be amenable to understanding this. When all was said and done, Galaxy rose to the top as the best possible ‘dancing partner’.”
Unbeknownst to the partners at the time, Galaxy Gaming was about to undergo some changes. Change usually holds some surprises, but in the case of the new partnership with EZ Baccarat, the surprises were all fortuitous.
“In November of 2023, Matt Reback, a highly respected gaming industry veteran with nearly two decades of experience, was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy,” Tejeda said. “When Matt took over the team, he started bringing in some of his people to effect changes he thought necessary.
“Well, lo and behold, this was like a gift from heaven for Robin and me. The most important quality for us is that Matt is a real ‘brand man’. He is well-versed in what makes a brand successful. He has a deep understanding of them as very few people do.”
Tejeda said Reback brought top-flight executives with him, including Michael Ratner, the Executive Vice President of Product. Ratner is an expert in this capacity, having over three decades of managerial experience with some of the top gaming companies in the world.
“With the new executive team in place, we started to pick up speed out in the market,” Tejeda said. “I really cannot tell you just how pleased we are with our partnership with Galaxy. They have made some meaningful decisions, and I think the one that really comes to the forefront is their agreement with the one-price policy that is a keystone of the EZ Baccarat brand.”
Side bets were among the innovations that Tejeda and Powell brought to the existing baccarat market. They also created the first avatars, initially the Dragon 7, and four years later, the Panda 8, which Tejeda said made the game come alive, made it different, sellable, and popular.
“After the alliance, we began listening to the market through Galaxy’s ears,” Tejeda revealed. “The feedback through the sales force made it pretty plain that the casinos were listening to players, and something they heard was they wanted more choices, a more extensive way of betting on the game. They wanted more action.”
Acknowledging that side bests have become more popular in the baccarat field, Tejeda and Powell found themselves in a quandary. They have by far and away the most successful baccarat game in the United States and Canada, and according to Tejeda: “When you have something that good, you are not too willing to ‘mess’ with it.”
Galaxy, meanwhile, had two signature baccarat bets that were tremendously successful for them: Golden Talons and Divine 9.
“We came to the table, and the suggestion was made to put Golden Talons and Divine 9 on the EZ Baccarat platform,” Tejeda continued. “Well, we thought about it long and hard, and we originally weren’t convinced because, like I said, it is complicated to change a successful recipe.
“We were also aware that the industry is constantly changing. You can’t stand still and not react to the times because prior success does not necessarily mean future performance. So, finally, we came together, and our first question was ‘How do we do this?’ The one-price policy is a keystone to the brand, and we haven’t changed that in 18 years.”
The Galaxy Gaming leadership team met and came up with what Tejeda best describes as a truly “innovative idea”, which accurately underscored the value of the company’s alliance with EZ Baccarat.
“They returned and told us that they wanted to make EZ Baccarat even better. Understanding the value, we placed on the one-price policy, they proposed putting Golden Talons and Divine 9 on the game and not changing the price. It was a gutsy executive decision and came unexpectedly. Our answer? We said ‘Hey, we’re game. Let’s do it. The one-price policy just became the same-price policy!’”
“And, when you think about it, who does this? Golden Talons is the most successful side bet Galaxy Gaming has for baccarat. They have hundreds of installations throughout the nation. To do something like this really takes a visionary leader. It is another reason we are thrilled to be in this together.”
Like Reback, Tejeda is a “brand man”. He knows that if you want a brand, you’ve got to be different and make truly innovative decisions.
“We lost our patent in 2013, yet we continue ‘gobbling’ up the market, and we are still far and away ‘Number One’,” Tejeda said. “If you want to be a ‘brand man,’ part of your responsibilities for the brand and the people who love it is to gaze as far into the future as you can and take some educated risks.”