Slot and system manufacturer Bally Technologies has opened a sales and service office in Sydney, Australia, marking the company’s return to selling games in Australia and New Zealand for the first time in decades.

Bally announced that its team for sales and service in one of the world’s largest slot markets will be headed by veteran Australian gaming executives Michael McNee and Ron Jeffrey in Sydney, and Cath Burns, vice president and managing director of Bally Technologies’ Asia-Pacific division.

McNee was named managing director of Bally Australia, and Jeffrey was named sales manager for the division.

McNee was a longtime executive with slot manufacturer Aristocrat Technologies in Australia before joining Bally last year as a consultant. He will be responsible for overall product and marketing strategy for the Australia and New Zealand gaming markets.

Jeffrey was most recently national sales manager in Australia for Aruze Gaming. Prior to that, he spent 10 years with Aristocrat in various sales and marketing positions. He will oversee Bally’s sales operations and customer-relationship management throughout the region.

“We couldn’t be more pleased that longtime gaming industry experts and my former colleagues Michael McNee and Ron Jeffrey have agreed to help lead Bally’s advance into Australia and New Zealand,” said Gavin Isaacs, Bally Technologies’ chief operating officer. (Isaacs was an Aristocrat executive in Australia.) “Michael and Ron will be teaming up with Cath Burns,  who is also an Australian. This experienced team’s understanding of the gaming market in Australia and New Zealand ensures that we will hit the ground running as we introduce our award-winning portfolio of industry-leading games and systems technology to Australia.

The slot-maker officially launched its sales effort last week at the Australasian Gaming Expo in Sydney.

By Staff