Slot machine maker Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd expects its second-half profit before tax to be down sequentially, despite an increase in revenue.
The Australia-listed firm said it anticipated profit before tax for the six months to December 31 – excluding currency exchange impacts and one-off items – to be in the range of AUD8 million (US$5.2 million) to AUD10 million. That would be in comparison to the AUD14-million profit achieved in the first half this year.
Revenue for the July to December period is expected to “show an estimated growth of 12 percent” compared to the AUD121.4 million reported in the six months to June 30, Ainsworth said in a Wednesday filing.
The company said the estimate was “based on preliminary management forecasts, subject to period end closure and audit procedures”.
“These results reflect the positive momentum achieved across the business,” stated the firm.
It added: “All geographical regions experienced solid growth in the period apart from the digital segment which suffered an initial decline following the reduced contributions from Game Account Network Ltd (GAN), following the acceleration of revenue arising from the termination of exclusivity arrangements reflected in the first half of calendar year 2024.”
Ainsworth however noted that gross margins were “negatively impacted” compared to the first half of 2024, “which was the primary factor contributing to the lower profitability experienced in the period”.
The firm said it expects full-year 2024 gross margin to be “approximately 62 percent” compared to the reported margin of about 67 percent in the first half this year.
“The forecasted margin has been adversely affected by a range of factors, including product mix of products sold within Latin America, competitive market conditions and the under recovery of production variances expensed in the current period,” noted the gaming supplier.
The announcement cited Ainsworth’s chief executive, Harald Neumann, as saying: “I am encouraged by the growth in revenue in the period and expect growth to continue in coming periods as we release the next suite of game offerings across our global markets.”
Mr Neumann said the initiatives undertaken by the company were showing “progressive improvements in game performance” within the markets where the company operates.
“Additional game releases and hardware initiatives are expected to maintain the growth experienced in coming periods,” added the CEO.
In Tuesday’s filing, Ainsworth also said it had “experienced a cybersecurity incident,” which was “currently under investigation and assessment”.
“Despite some disruptions experienced in internal business systems and operations, through cautionary measures implemented, it is currently not expected that this incident will have any material adverse impact on the forecasted results” for the second half this year, stated the firm.
