An Unlikely Jackpot in Decatur

When you imagine the ringing bells and flashing lights of slot machines, you probably picture Las Vegas, Atlantic City or another glitzy gambling hub. The last place you would probably think of is Decatur, but it happens to be the home of Gimme Games, one of the world’s leading producers of slot machines.

CEO Daniel Marks was the lone employee when he founded the company in 2013, and nearly seven years later, Gimme Games has 180 employees located around the world, with 40 of them based in Decatur. “The biggest attraction of Decatur is that it’s a great community for my employees to eat and entertain, always taking in the vibrant, diverse community around us,” said Marks. “I also think Decatur’s progressive environment makes it easier to have a diverse staff like we do, because they can look around the community and find other people who can identify with them and their experiences. It’s just a very comfortable place to be.”

While the slot machines are manufactured in Las Vegas, the Decatur headquarters focuses on game design, artwork, sound effects and animation. The extensive equations that determine who wins – and how often they win – are handled by designated mathematicians, all of whom hold PhDs in mathematics.

Decatur has served as a significant recruiting tool for Marks’ highly educated employee base, especially thanks to the city’s incredible selection of restaurants. Marks takes his entire 40-person team out for lunch every day to one of Decatur’s many restaurants, constantly finding new flavors to sample. He also takes the whole company out to drinks and appetizers at least one a month, enjoying Decatur’s ambiance, culture and community.

“For our annual meeting, we welcome our employees from around the world and rent out a chunk of the YMCA so we can take a break, play some games and then get back to work,” Marks added. “It’s really nice that, when people visit from out of town, they can stay 100 feet from our office and walk to eat, go to Eddie’s Attic or go out for drinks. There’s always something fun and convenient to do here.”