Long-time gaming industry executive Victor Duarte has joined Konami Gaming in Las Vegas as the manufacturer’s chief product and strategy officer.
Konami is expected to make a formal announcement Wednesday.
Durate, who has two decades of experience in both the slot machine and lottery industries and is also taking the title of senior vice president, will oversee research and development for the Las Vegas-based subsidiary of Japan’s Konami Holdings.
“Victor Duarte has a strong track record of strategic leadership in the areas that matter to our customers, including product reliability and performance,” Konami CEO Steve Sutherland said in a statement. “His demonstrated commitment to quality and innovation is consistent with Konami’s enduring vision for the business and its role across global markets.”
Durarte was long associated with lottery giant GTECH Holdings and companies associated with the former Rhode Island-based business. GTECH acquired IGT in a $6.4 billion merger in 2015 and assumed the slot machine giant’s name.
Among his roles with GTECH, Durarte spent nine year as the president and CEO of Spielo, a GTECH subsidiary and slot machine provider. He returned to GTECH as the senior vice president of gaming product officer of gaming for IGT. Durarte spent a year as a consultant before joining Konami.
