• About Us
  • The Team
  • Advertise with Us

The latest news on the gaming industry in Asia

() () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () ()
  • Home
  • Macau
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • Japan
  • Rest of Asia
  • World
  • Industry Talk
  • Trends & Tech
  • iGaming
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • RSS Feed
    • LinkedIn

Ainsworth, Novomatic brands stay post tie up: Gladstone

Jun 05, 2017 Newsdesk Industry Talk, Latest News, Top of the deck  


Ainsworth, Novomatic brands stay post tie up: Gladstone

Customers and players using slot machines of Australian firm Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd or casino electronic games of Austrian manufacturer Novomatic AG would not notice any immediate, significant differences in the products once integration of the two businesses takes place later this year. So said Danny Gladstone (pictured), chief executive of Ainsworth Game, in an interview with GGRAsia at the recent Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia casino industry trade show and conference.

Ainsworth Game had said in a June 2016 filing that its shareholders had approved the sale of a majority stake in the business – which was started by Len Ainsworth, who previously founded Australian slot machine maker Aristocrat Leisure Ltd – to Novomatic. Integration is due to be completed by October this year, according to Mr Gladstone.

A factor affecting how quickly it can be achieved is the 196 United States jurisdictions in which Ainsworth Game is licensed to supply gaming equipment, said Mr Gladstone. As Novomatic is taking a majority stake in Ainsworth Game, it also needs to be approved by those places.

“They [Novomatic] have to be approved by every single jurisdiction. So they have got a mammoth task and they are doing a great job of it,” Mr Gladstone told us.

He noted: “Regarding the integration, I think what a lot of people don’t really understand, is that it is business as usual for Ainsworth, even though Novomatic will become our major shareholder.”

He added: “We will have opportunities to do things together. There are a lot of markets where we don’t even cross each other, so it’s not actually integration, it’s more cooperation… we are supplying them with product and games and… vice versa.”

The executive further stated: “They [Novomatic] have no presence in Australia, and not much in the U.S. We have a larger footprint in the U.S., so we are looking at working together and to put products there.”

“The brand across North America will be an Ainsworth brand. We will work on doing things together… obviously in Australia the brand will stay Ainsworth,” said Mr Gladstone, referring to his firm’s home market.

Technology sharing

The Ainsworth Game CEO said he didn’t rule out the possibility that as the two businesses work more closely, they might share technology within particular products.

“We are going to have strategy meetings later in the year,” Mr Gladstone told GGRAsia. “We might [decide to] design a machine and have a common platform and use a lot of common [components]. And we are starting to do little things like that,” he added.

“Their [Novomatic’s] game designers are looking at some of the ways we do our games; they are looking at the way we present link [games] controllers. We have actually taken six or seven of their games… and reworked them a little bit to fit in to the markets we know. You can’t take them holus bolus and take them into the markets in America or Australia or even Macau,” Mr Gladstone noted.

The two businesses shared an exhibition stand at G2E Asia 2017.

Ainsworth Game’s CEO stated of Novomatic: “They are a great company. They have some technology that we haven’t got – and we have some they don’t – and we have different skills in game development; so it’s going to be a win-win.”

“If I could have picked someone I wanted to be involved with for the future, it would have been Novomatic. The main reason is we very rarely compete with each other,” he added.

Mr Gladstone was asked about the ongoing involvement of founder Mr Ainsworth in the Ainsworth Game business.

The CEO said: “He loves the company, he loves being involved. He’s 94 in July. He’s in the office most days, hovering around and giving us advice.”

Mr Gladstone joked: “Mr Ainsworth is still there, on the board, and will always be around until they drag him out in a box.”


  • tweet
Related articles
  • Ainsworth to align financial year reporting with Novomatic
    Ainsworth to align financial year...

    Jun 02, 2022  

  • Novomatic 2021 EBITDA nearly doubles as revenue grows
    Novomatic 2021 EBITDA nearly doubles...

    Apr 04, 2022  

More news
  • Macau u-turn on nucleic acid test per 48 hrs for casino staff
    Macau u-turn on nucleic acid test per...

    Jun 30, 2022  

  • Universal hopes Okada Manila biz listed before Sept 30
    Universal hopes Okada Manila biz listed...

    Jun 30, 2022  


Latest News

Macau u-turn on nucleic acid test per 48 hrs for casino staff

Macau u-turn on nucleic acid test per 48 hrs for casino staff

Jun 30, 2022  

The Macau government announced on Thursday the cancellation of a plan for a nucleic acid test requirement every 48 hours for casino workers as a condition of their entry into the workplace, a...
Read More
Universal hopes Okada Manila biz listed before Sept 30

Universal hopes Okada Manila biz listed before Sept 30

Jun 30, 2022  

5-casino Thai market ok says National Assembly committee

5-casino Thai market ok says National Assembly committee

Jun 30, 2022  

Sign up to our FREE Newsletter

UB8V5.qr.16(Click here for more)

Pick of the Day

"During our six years in office, we were able to record more than PHP300 billion [in revenue]"

Andrea Domingo

Chairman of the Philippines’ gaming regulator Pagcor



Most Popular

  • Macau casino Covid tests from Fri, ops pay for staff testsMacau casino Covid tests from Fri, ops pay for staff tests June 28, 2022
  • China quarantine easing good signal for Macau: analystsChina quarantine easing good signal for Macau: analysts June 29, 2022
  • LVS full recovery may take until 2024: Moody’sLVS full recovery may take until 2024: Moody’s June 29, 2022
  • SJM to make 2nd of pledged staff subsidy payments for 2022SJM to make 2nd of pledged staff subsidy payments for 2022 June 27, 2022
  • Only 2 Macau satellites closed as concessions extendedOnly 2 Macau satellites closed as concessions extended June 29, 2022
Copyright 2014-2022 TEAM Publishing and Consultancy Ltd / All rights reserved
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Useful Links
  • Contact Us