Battle for IGT Board of Directors goes down to the wire

The battle for control of the IGT Board of Directors and control of the company is going down to the wire. This morning, IGT's current board and management is sending out this letter to shareholders seeking their vote. When management has to send out last minute letters like this it is clear that there is some doubt about having enough votes to guarantee their jobs:

Dear Fellow IGT Shareholder:

At the IGT Annual Meeting of Shareholders on March 5, 2013, you will be asked to determine which director nominees best serve the interests of ALL IGT shareholders.

Your Board of Directors unanimously believes that the reelection of IGT's eight highly qualified and experienced incumbent directors is in the best interests of shareholders. Whereas the Ader / Mathewson Group has offered no specific plan for IGT and does not recognize the significant growth opportunities available to IGT in online, social and mobile gaming, your IGT Board is overseeing a successful growth strategy that is positioning IGT for long-term success and significant shareholder value creation.

The IGT Annual Meeting is just days away. We are writing to remind all shareholders to protect your investment in IGT and vote for all eight directors on the WHITE proxy card. Because time is short, we encourage all shareholders to VOTE FOR THE IGT BOARD TODAY BY TELEPHONE OR INTERNET.

VOTE "FOR" YOUR BOARD'S EXTENSIVE TRACK RECORD OF SUCCESS

Three of your independent directors have been targeted for replacement by the Ader / Mathewson Group at IGT's upcoming Annual Meeting, specifically Paget Alves, David Roberson and Vincent Sadusky, and you cannot use the gold card to vote for them. Your Board unanimously believes that these three incumbent directors are better qualified to serve the interests of shareholders than Daniel Silvers, the only Ader / Mathewson Group nominee recommended by Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis. The Board believes the loss of ANY incumbent director in favor of Mr. Silvers would represent a significant loss for shareholders.