| Aristocrat Leisure Limited | |
| Type: | Public company |
| Industry: | Gambling |
| Location City: | Sydney |
| Key People: | Trevor Croker, CEO |
| Revenue: | A$4,397.4 billion (2019) |
| Operating Income: | A$1,162.5 million (2019) |
| Net Income: | A$698.8 million (2019) |
| Num Employees: | 6400+ |
| Location Country: | Australia |
Aristocrat Leisure Limited is an Australian gambling machine manufacturer, which has its administrative and research headquarters in the Sydney suburb of North Ryde. It has marketing and development offices in South Africa, Russia, and the United States.
Aristocrat is the largest gambling machine manufacturer in Australia, and one of the largest manufacturers of slot machines in the world, currently second only to International Game Technology.
The company produced their first machine in 1953 and was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 1996. The company was founded by Len Ainsworth, whose family[1] maintains a substantial stake in the company. Ainsworth is now chairman of a different gaming company, Ainsworth Game Technology. Aristocrat is licensed to distribute slot machines and other gaming products in over 200 jurisdictions (note that many countries, including Australia, have a number of different gaming-license jurisdictions).
Aristocrat's CEO blamed the US subprime mortgage crisis for poor financial results in 2008,[2] despite competing companies experiencing record growth[3] in the same period. As a result of the expected drop in revenue, the CEO enacted sweeping budget cuts, including large-scale retrenchments of staff from all areas of the business.[4] For the 12 months to December 2009, the company reported a net loss of $157.8 million.[5]
In 2011, the company reached an agreement with the AGLC to provide equipment and games for Alberta's video lottery terminal network.[6]
In July 2014, Aristocrat agreed to buy Video Gaming Technologies for about $1.3 billion to triple its North American business amid falling profit in Australia.[7] On 10 August 2017, the company acquired mobile game developer Plarium for $500 million to enter into mobile gaming.[8] On 30 November 2017, they then acquired mobile game developer Big Fish Games for US$990 million.[9]
Since March 2017, the CEO has been Trevor Croker, formerly executive vice president for global products, who succeeded Jamie Odell.[10] [11]
In July 2019, Aristocrat sued Ainsworth, alleging that they had used proprietary code and media assets leaked by a former Aristocrat employee to produce a clone of its popular Lightning Link games.
On 4 October 2021, Aristocrat Gaming was awarded the Land-based Product, Land-based Industry Supplier and Slot of the Year (“Buffalo Link”) from the Global Gaming Awards in Las Vegas for the “In the Clear” initiative introduced for their gaming machines.[12]
On 18 October 2021, Aristocrat announced they would bid to buy Playtech for US$3.7 billion,[13] which was later turned down by Playtech shareholders with more than 45% voting against the deal. However, the company stated it would consider other proposals.[14] As a result, in May 2022, Aristocrat announced it would launch its online casino business by the end of 2022, as the group aims to become a leader in the emerging digital gambling industry. Additionally, Aristocrat announced a $500 million on-market share buyback to return some of the $1.3 billion additional funding raised for the failed bid of Playtech.[15]
Aside from spinning reel slot machines, the company has an interest in gambling systems (computerized network systems that manage slot machines), computerized card game simulations, electronic table games, and linked jackpot systems (such as the patented Hyperlink systems). The company has developed the Reel Power system, where players buy reels instead of lines, winning combinations in the standard configuration.
Aristocrat's most prominent products have been game setups that place large progressive jackpots over a number of machines, including its Lightning Link series. The series has seen substantial popularity, and Aristocrat has licensed branded areas in several North American casinos dedicated exclusively to the machines.[16] [17] [18] [19]
The company has a number of distribution partnerships, including Sammy Corporation in Japan.
In the U.S., Aristocrat has licensed titles to Grand Vision Gaming of Montana for use on video lottery terminals.[20]
In 2022, Aristocrat entered into licensing agreements with the National Football League to produce NFL-themed games; the lineup was unveiled at Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas ahead of Super Bowl LVIII (which was hosted by the city), including games such as Super Bowl Jackpots (which can be customized by players with themes for each of the NFL's teams). The company also announced an agreement with the New England Patriots to become a sponsor of the team as an "official betting partner", including advertising signage at Gillette Stadium.[21] [22] Aristocrat announced a similar sponsorship with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024.[23]