Austrian gaming equipment supplier Novomatic AG has increased its stake in Australian slot maker Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd to above 65 percent, as the former seeks to acquire the shares it does not currently control in Ainsworth.
The Novomatic group and its founder and owner, Johann Graf, now control 65.13 percent of Ainsworth’s shares, following a string of acquisitions since early December, according to a Tuesday filing by Ainsworth.
The increase was effected via on-market acquisitions of Ainsworth shares, as well as acquisition of relevant interest in shares as a result of acceptances of the off-market takeover offer made by Novomatic.
Novomatic in August made an “unconditional” takeover bid of AUD1.00 (US$0.661 currently) per share for the shares that it does not currently control in Ainsworth.
Last week, Novomatic said it had again extended – this time by nearly two months, to January 30 – the deadline on its takeover bid for the Australian company.
An independent board committee of Ainsworth in mid-September “unanimously” recommended that Ainsworth’s shareholders accept Novomatic’s takeover bid.
Australia-listed Ainsworth said in a Monday filing that it expects its full-year profit in 2025 to be down 7.3 percent year-on-year, at AUD21.5 million, compared to AUD23.2 million a year earlier.
