The Americas have been good hunting grounds for Australia’s Ainsworth Game Technology. According to the company’s fiscal 2012 year-end report, activities in North and South America together accounted for more than 24 percent of the slot manufacturer’s A0.6 million in revenue.
North America alone supplied A$25.8 million in gross revenue. In fact, North America contributed 54 percent of total international revenue for the year, which also included the relatively nearby New Zealand market as well as the various markets in Europe, Asia and elsewhere.
Total international revenue of A$47.5 million for the year was up 104 percent on the A$23.3 million generated in all of 2011. For North America, the increase was 129 percent, while South America grew by 72 percent.
The numbers released at the end of August and covering the period through June 30 are reason enough for Ainsworth to state that the company “expects North America will continue to be a major driver of revenue growth for its international operations.”
To achieve this continued growth internationally, Ainsworth is planning more investment in general plus “the progressive build-up in resources in the Americas.” Key elements of the plan are the operational base in Las Vegas “combined with the ongoing release of newly developed product initiatives and the continuation of the initial stages of local product development.”
American Debut
It is in this light that Ainsworth is introducing its new A560st Slant Top cabinet at G2E this year, under the umbrella motto “Play the Future.” The state-of-the-art A560st offers a dual wide-screen LCD platform and an intuitive player interface that supports a 15-button play deck with a programmable button option. Filling out the A560st package is a powerful Quadtronic processor, compact storage and a top-end sound system.
The game content for the A560st has the high-resolution graphics and imaginative themes that have become associated with the GamePlus series. At G2E, the GamePlus game library will feature new and innovative updates to the popular “Double Hit” series, “Triple Shot,” “Quadshot,” “Dollar Games” and Play 100Lines/50Lines games. Also represented will be the new “Standalone Hummin Link Mystery,” “Jackpot Kingdom,” “Glitter Mystery” and the “Multi Win” multi-game series.
Also being presented for the first time at G2E is the latest assortment of link packages from Ainsworth’s “World of Jackpots” library. Among these is “Jackpot General,” the supplier’s newest thee-level linked 50-line progressive product designed for penny play and available on the unique triple-screen Super A560 cabinet.
Jackpot General entertains and rewards players with great progressives and bonus prizes. It is just one of several new progressive brands due for release in 2012-13 and which are being touted as “must-sees” for those attending G2E.
Another new cabinet on display at G2E is the Wide Boy A560, which sports a 32-inch LCD top box. The cabinet will be running game titles from Ainsworth’s Premium Plus line of games, including “Reels of Wheels,” “Tower of Fortune,” “Inca Reef” and “Red Wolf.” Premium Plus series games will also be running in the Mega Top A560 cabinet.
Growth at Home
Meanwhile, Ainsworth saw a 38 percent rise in revenue in its home markets in Australia to A$103.1 million in FY2012. The company reportedly saw market share rise as well in Australia, attributing the overall success to the expanded A560 cabinet series, new game combinations and an existing product development strategy.
Ainsworth spent A$18.6 million on R&D last fiscal year, which was an increase of 42 percent on 2011. The continued investment was cited as a factor in completing development of the A560st and the company’s proprietary QX32 jackpot controller. Both products were recently showcased at the Australasian Gaming Expo, and have been approved for sale in certain Australian markets. For international markets, approval is expected per jurisdiction as 2013 progresses.
Ainsworth Game Technology is publicly listed and trades under the ticker symbol AGI. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, Ainsworth has offices in the U.S., Europe, New Zealand, Macau and South America.
The company was founded by industry giant Len Ainsworth. Now executive chairman, Ainsworth has received numerous industry awards and honors throughout some 60 years in the business, and is widely acknowledged as a pioneer when it comes to technological innovation and design of gaming machines.
