What does it take for a small vendor to grow into a larger one?
As Zitro USA CEO Derik Mooberry surveyed the crowds at the recent Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow & Conference, he thought that increased exposure would help.
“We’ve asked customers to give us a chance because in the U.S. they don’t know who we are,” Mooberry said. “In Latin America, everyone knows who we are. In the U.S. we’re about building our brand and establishing who we are, and the tribal customers have been fantastic about giving us opportunities.”
If Zitro USA could come close to mimicking its success in Latin America, Mooberry would be ecstatic. It is one of the top slot manufacturers in Mexico, and also is wildly popular in its home country of Spain.
But so far, it’s been a learning curve stateside. Mooberry admits the American market has been interesting.
“I tell people all the time we’ve learned, we’ve found success, through failure,” he says. “When we came to the U.S. originally, the games didn’t work great. I think we automatically expected that because we did great in Latin America, we must do great in America. It’s not the same. They do play a little differently here, the customers had a different expectation, and we had to adjust accordingly.”
What do U.S. slot players like? It seems they are fans of games with volatility, but not too much volatility. Mooberry compares it to dining at a restaurant and asking for a spice level of nine.
But that turns out to be too spicy for most American palates.
“I think sometimes slot machines kind of work the same way,” he said. “Games can be pretty harsh, and you can make them volatile and then sometimes player experiences can be less than ideal. I think there’s a fine line, and I think we’ve had to work hard and try to find that right spot of volatility for the consumer and what works best for the American market.”
After some experimentation, Mooberry believes Zitro has found the correct mix. Notably, at the Global Gaming Expo in 2024, the company saw Legendary Sword, a multi-game 4-level jackpot link game, find favor with operators. It is now installed at casinos in California, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Minnesota.
Currently, Zitro USA has slot games in 20 states and at 110 casinos.
“We’re actively getting more licenses each and every day,” Mooberry said. “We want to continue to expand our long-term vision. We eventually want to do business and every market in the United States and Canada.”
