This week, Sigma Game Inc., based in Las Vegas, has shut-down its operations while it restructures its possibilities of finding a new financial backer or decides to sell the small company.

Sigma's best known for making a slot machine based on the board game Life.

Even though competition is tight in the slot industry, and the company did not represent at the Global Gaming Expo last week, a spokesperson for Sigma said the choice to contemplate a new partner doesn't necessarily mean that Sigma and its games are not performing well.

The spokesperson also stated that the company has great slots, they are just mulling over ideas on how the company can keep growing in order to remain competitive.

The company has not been able to compete on the same level as much larger companies like Alliance Gaming Corp..and International Game Technology (IGT). Sigma is the only remaining privately held slot maker, and to compete on the same level as the other 'global' companies, they need to restructure.

Sigma is run by a Japanese investor by the name of Katsuki Manabe. The company holds a license to distribute and sell machines in the majority of gaming markets here in the US. In the past, the company has employed up to 80 people at its Las Vegas headquarters. Laying off many of its employees in the past because its current demand is low, has been a difficult decision, but Sigma hasn't laid off any of its remaining employees this week.

Spokespeople for IGT and Alliance Gaming have no comment on whether they are attracted to purchasing any of Sigma's assets.