SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwire – October 19, 2010) –  American Gaming Systems (AGS), a leading designer, manufacturer and operator of gaming machines with more than 7,000 units in operation, announced today it has appointed innovative gaming industry veteran Dr. Olaf Vancura as its Vice President of Game Development.

In his new role, Vancura will be responsible for American Gaming Systems’ overall product strategy plan, including game development, operating systems, software and hardware advancement, platform progression and interaction with third-party content providers. Vancura will focus initially on enhancements to the game development process at AGS’ creative studio center in suburban Toronto.

With a background in gaming dating back to 1994, Vancura has a doctorate in physics from The Johns Hopkins University and was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University. He is currently the principal of Game Ingenuity, a game development company based in Las Vegas. Vancura previously served as Chief Creative Officer at publicly traded Progressive Gaming International from 2004 to 2006 and Vice President of Game Development at Mikohn Gaming.

With billions of dollars wagered on his original creations, Vancura is the chief architect of the strategy-based “Yahtzee” and “Battleship” lines of slots as well as the “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” games, unique for their trivia-based format. He has also acquired and created unique casino game content for national brands such as “Garfield,” “Clue” and “Trivial Pursuit.” A prolific inventor, Vancura has received more than 65 U.S. patents related to gaming.

“We are committed to energizing our entire product line and the appointment of Olaf gives us the leader we need to take that giant leap forward,” said Robert Miodunski, Chairman and Interim President and CEO. “Olaf brings the unique combination of technical brilliance and creative vision that will improve the games and machines we offer our customers going forward.”

“This is a very exciting opportunity that offers the chance to build on AGS’ existing success and advance its game development efforts to match an aggressive overall growth plan,” Vancura said. “We have a good team and solid technology already in place and I look forward to being part of this growing team that is positioning AGS to become a strong player among gaming suppliers.”

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