Siegfried Dattl, Jr., who steered TAB-Austria to become one of the leading manufacturers of touchscreen games and specialist cabinets for sports betting, has succumbed to a health problem. He was 51.

iNTERGAME reported that Dattl joined his creator last Friday, surrounded by his loving family inside their home in Ansfelden, in Upper Austria. Dattl had been battling his poor health for quite some time now, until last week.

Family, friends in the gambling industry, and TAB workers all mourned the untimely demise of Dattl. They said the news of Dattl’s death shocked everyone.

Many credited Dattl as a visionary who championed touchscreen games and other products such as the Silverball terminal, the Maxfire digital juke box and the Fun4Four upright four-player gambling game for amusement only.