AGS’s steady rise on slot-performance charts proves the company’s ability “to punch above our weight class,” Mark DeDeaux says.
“We’ve seen a very strong evolution in the quality and performance of the games we create,” said DeDeaux, senior vice president and general manager for AGS slots.
He pointed to consistent growth over the past year in the number of AGS games ranked in the top 25 on the monthly industry-wide performance reports from Eilers & Krejcik Gaming. At the eighth annual EKG Slot awards ceremony in February, AGS was honored as the most improved supplier in core games during 2025, the third time the company has won that title. AGS also received the EKG award for top-performing new online table game for Blackjack Single Deck, the second consecutive year AGS Interactive received an award in the real-money online gaming category.
Although operating with the resources of a mid-tier supplier as opposed to the assets of an industry heavyweight, AGS welcomes the chance to compete at that level. “Our focus is on delivering products that perform alongside the top three suppliers,” DeDeaux said. “We’ve consistently proven we can do that, while separating ourselves from the rest of the market.”
The next goal is increasing the number of AGS games in the top 10 of the EKG reports. DeDeaux said the AGS slot and R&D teams will determine specific factors that help separate best performers from the rest of the pack. “We’re getting deeper into the details of the games we’re building and understanding the gaps between a Top 25 and a Top 10 game.”
He likened the blending of science and art for a successful slot offering to finding the best mixture of musical elements for a hit song. “There are a lot of components to the richness of a game,” he said. “It’s the balancing between the theme, the graphics, the animation, and the math (so) players want to play longer.”
Among the top performers in the AGS video line are Mariachi Fortunes Trio, Fortune Frenzy, and Fa Cai Trio; top mechanical reel games include Flaming Reels and Diamond Nudge.
DeDeaux said the Spectra cabinet line for video slots and the Revel cabinet for mechanical reels play a large role in boosting company performance. The Spectra SL-75 cabinet with a 75-inch 4K monitor, offers a level of flexibility “no other supplier has done,” he said. It supports every game in the AGS library – core or premium, five-reel or three-reel – and is available for lease or for sale.
“Customers value flexibility and optionality,” DeDeaux said, “What we’ve seen is great penetration, great response from players. Any game that we put on that cabinet, the product gets elevated significantly.”
In addition, AGS recently introduced its “Flex Games” program, developed under a multiyear innovation strategy. It enables all core titles to run across all Spectra core and specialty cabinets, allowing customers to maximize their cabinet options while benefiting from a larger game portfolio. With the ability to mix and match titles, they can configure games however they want. “We are giving them an opportunity to leverage our core products in ways unique to them,” DeDeaux said.
AGS is investing substantially in the stepper slots as well. Although entering that category only two years ago, he said the company’s Revel cabinet has ranked in the top four in core cabinet performance since its introduction. He added that AGS stepper games continue to trend upward, rather than falling off after a strong start. He cited game mechanics such as cash on reels and a nudge feature as especially attractive to players.
AGS, which went private last year after being purchased by Brightstar Capital Partners, serves operators throughout North America and in more than 20 other countries, providing slot machines and cabinets, table game products, and interactive gaming.
The company continues significant investments in R&D and expansion into regulated international markets, DeDeaux said. “We’re really focused on quality and overall performance.”
