Filed by
GTECH S.p.A.

pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933

and deemed to be filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12

under the Securities and Exchange Act

Subject Company: International Game Technology

Filer’s SEC File No.: 333-146050

Date: September 23, 2014

 

GRAPHIC

 

NEWS RELEASE

 

AMENDMENT TO MERGER AGREEMENT BETWEEN GTECH S.P.A. AND INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY (IGT)

 

ROME, ITALY and PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND (US) — September 23, 2014 — GTECH S.p.A. (ISE:GTK) and International Game Technology (IGT) today announced that they have amended their previously announced Agreement and Plan of Merger dated July 15, 2014.

 

While the aggregate amount of stock and cash to be paid to IGT shareholders has remained unchanged, the amendment eliminates the mechanism for IGT shareholders to elect all-stock, all-cash consideration, or a mixed election, subject to proration.  Upon completion of the merger, all IGT shareholders will receive $13.69 in cash plus 0.1819 shares (subject to adjustment) of newly formed U.K. holding company NewCo, for each share of IGT common stock.

 

The amendment also reflects a reduced number of required approvals from gaming regulators as a condition precedent to closing.

 

Additionally, De Agostini S.p.A., the majority GTECH shareholder, will continue to have the right to select seven members to the 13-member combined company board, but the amendment reduces the number of those directors who meet the independence standards of the New York Stock Exchange from four to three.

 

GTECH and IGT entered into the amendment with the overall intent of improving the timing and certainty of completion of the transaction in the interests of both companies and their shareholders. In particular, providing IGT shareholders with the aforementioned election mechanism would have had the effect of imposing additional regulatory and disclosure requirements that would have made the transaction process unduly complex and burdensome and caused delays to its completion timetable.

 

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The amendment and additional detail regarding the amendment are available at www.sec.gov.

 

Related news release: July 16, 2014

 

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

 

This news release contains forward-looking statements (including within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning IGT, GTECH, NewCo, the proposed transactions and other matters. These statements may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future plans, trends, events, results of operations or financial condition, or otherwise, based on current beliefs of the management of IGT and GTECH as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, such management. Forward-looking statements may be accompanied by words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “plan,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project” or similar words, phrases or expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside the parties’ control. Therefore, you should not place undue reliance on such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include failure to obtain applicable regulatory or shareholder approvals in a timely manner or otherwise; failure to satisfy other closing conditions to the proposed transactions; risks that the new businesses will not be integrated successfully or that the combined companies will not realize estimated cost savings, value of certain tax assets, synergies and growth or that such benefits may take longer to realize than expected; failure to realize anticipated benefits of the combined operations; risks relating to unanticipated costs of integration; reductions in customer spending, a slowdown in customer payments and changes in customer demand for products and services; unanticipated changes relating to competitive factors in the industries in which the companies operate; ability to hire and retain key personnel; the potential impact of announcement or consummation of the proposed transactions on relationships with third parties, including customers, employees and competitors; ability to attract new customers and retain existing customers in the manner anticipated; reliance on and integration of information technology systems; changes in legislation or governmental regulations affecting the companies; international, national or local economic, social or

 

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political conditions that could adversely affect the companies or their customers; conditions in the credit markets; risks associated with assumptions the parties make in connection with the parties’ critical accounting estimates and legal proceedings; and the parties’ international operations, which are subject to the risks of currency fluctuations and foreign exchange controls. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties that affect the parties’ businesses, including those described in IGT’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other documents filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and those described in GTECH’s annual reports, registration documents and other documents filed from time to time with the Italian financial market regulator (CONSOB). Except as required under applicable law, the parties do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Nothing in this announcement is intended, or is to be construed, as a profit forecast or to be interpreted to mean that earnings per GTECH share or IGT share for the current or any future financial years or those of the combined group, will necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings per GTECH share or IGT share, as applicable.

 

Important Information for Investors and Shareholders

 

This communication is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy or an invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities or the solicitation of any vote in any jurisdiction pursuant to the proposed transactions or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and applicable European regulations. Subject to certain exceptions to be approved by the relevant regulators or certain facts to be ascertained, the public offer will not be made directly or indirectly, in or into any jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the laws of such jurisdiction, or by use of the mails or by any means or instrumentality (including without limitation, facsimile transmission, telephone and the internet) of interstate or foreign commerce, or any facility of a national securities exchange, of any such jurisdiction. NewCo will file with the SEC a registration statement on Form F-4, which will include the proxy statement of IGT that also constitutes a prospectus of NewCo (the “proxy statement/prospectus”). INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS, AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC, IN THEIR ENTIRETY CAREFULLY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 

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ABOUT IGT, GTECH, NEWCO, THE PROPOSED TRANSACTIONS AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and shareholders will be able to obtain free copies of the proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC by the parties through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, investors and shareholders will be able to obtain free copies of the proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC by the parties by contacting Investor Relations, IGT (for documents filed with the SEC by IGT) or Investor Relations, GTECH (for documents filed with the SEC by NewCo).

 

Italian CONSOB Regulation No. 17221

 

Pursuant to Article 6 of the CONSOB Regulation no. 17221 of March 12, 2010 (as amended, the “CONSOB Regulation”), NewCo is a related party of GTECH, being a wholly owned subsidiary of GTECH.

 

The merger agreement providing for the GTECH-NewCo merger — which exceeds the thresholds for “significant transactions” pursuant to the Regulation — was approved unanimously by the GTECH board of directors.

 

The merger agreement and the GTECH-NewCo merger are subject to the exemption set forth in Article 14 of the CONSOB Regulation and Article 3.2 of the “Disposizioni in materia di operazioni con parti correlate” (“Procedures for transactions with related parties”) adopted by GTECH on July 28, 2011 and published on its website (www.gtech.com). Pursuant to this exemption, GTECH will not publish an information document (documento informativo) for related party transactions as provided by Article 5 of the CONSOB Regulation. Prior to the meeting of GTECH shareholders, GTECH will publish an information document pursuant to Article 70, paragraph 6, of the CONSOB Regulation on Issuers (CONSOB Regulation no. 11971 of May 24, 1999, as amended), in accordance with applicable terms.

 

Participants in the Distribution

 

IGT, GTECH and NewCo and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of IGT in respect of the proposed transactions contemplated by the proxy statement/prospectus. Information regarding the persons who are, under the rules of the SEC, participants in the solicitation of the shareholders of IGT in connection with the proposed transactions, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus when it is filed with the

 

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SEC. Information regarding IGT’s directors and executive officers is contained in IGT’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 28, 2013 and its Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, dated January 24, 2014, which are filed with the SEC.

 

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GTECH S.p.A. is a leading commercial operator and provider of technology in the regulated worldwide gaming markets, delivering best-in-class products and services, with a commitment to the highest levels of integrity, responsibility, and shareholder value creation. The Company is listed on the FTSE MIB at the Italian Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “GTK” and is majority owned by De Agostini S.p.A. In 2013, GTECH had approximately €3.1 billion in revenues and 8,600 employees with operations in approximately 100 countries on six continents. For more information, please visit www.gtech.com.

 

For further information:

 

Robert K. Vincent

Simone Cantagallo

GTECH S.p.A.

GTECH S.p.A.

Corporate Communications

Media Communications

T. (+1) 401 392 7452

T. (+39) 06 51899030

 

This news release and those archived are available at www.gtech.com

 

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