Inside Asian Gaming

IAG FEB 2021年2月 亞博匯 44 Orchard has returned home to Sydney’s picturesque northern beaches. Orchard已經遷回風景如畫的悉尼北部海灘。 INDUSTRY PROFILE BenBlaschke: Thanks for chattingwith us Dallas. Can you start by telling us a bit about your background? Dallas Orchard: I’m from Australia and I grew up in the industry. My dad, Ken Orchard, was in the industry for a long, long time, starting in Australia. He opened the New Zealand office for Aristocrat in 1988 and paved the way for the first video slots in North America for Aristocrat. My brother is also in the industry – he is the Chief Compliance Officer at IGT, so we’re working for the same company. I swore I would never get into the industry but I did! I only joke that I was trying to avoid the industry, because when your dad and your brother are also involved, you think about trying something different. But I’m glad I took the opportunity. I wouldn’t change a thing. BB: What changed your mind? DO: I think living in Las Vegas, you are connected to it, even if you’re not connected to it. I was playing rugby in Las Vegas and the rugby community had a connection into the gaming industry. Of course, there are a lot of Australian expats there, so I knew everyone in the industry already very well. I actually started in the US on the operator side in 1993 working in marketing at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, which was just a phenomenal job, and I was basically recruited out of there into the manufacturer side. BB: You spent some time working for a couple of very well-known Australian manufacturers – Ainsworth and Aristocrat – before joining IGT. What attracted you to IGT? DO: I spent eight years with Aristocrat from 2007 to 2015 and had a fantastic career with them, but it was