Australian slot machine maker Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd announced on Thursday that Mike Dreitzer, president of Ainsworth Game North America, has resigned. Mr Dreitzer will leave the company on February 16, the firm said in a filing to the Australian Securities Exchange.
Ainsworth Game added that a “highly capable local management team” – under the company’s chief executive, Danny Gladstone – will continue to manage the North American business “whilst a suitable replacement is secured”.
“We look forward to recruiting a new president to continue to grow our North American operations and successfully execute our strategy,” said Ainsworth Game’s CEO in a prepared statement.
Commenting on Mr Dreitzer’s departure, Mr Gladstone said: “Under Mike’s leadership, Ainsworth Game’s North American operations have grown strongly to over AUD100 million [US$80.1 million] of revenues, as part of Ainsworth’s strategy to grow international revenues and higher quality earnings. Ainsworth Game also integrated Nova Technologies to increase its machines on participation and opened the new facility in Las Vegas to enhance the company’s profile in this key market.”
Ainsworth Game announced a fortnight ago that a 52-percent stake in the company had been acquired by Austrian gaming equipment supplier Novomatic AG. Both firms had previously said the deal was scheduled to be concluded on January 5, after it was announced the agreement had received all relevant regulatory approvals.
The chairman of Novomatic AG had said the acquisition of the stake in Ainsworth Game was “strategically very important” for the European firm. In a press release, Novomatic said the firm’s plan was to use the acquisition “to increase market share in the United States to about 10 percent over the next five years”.
