The Austrian land and online gambling technology giant Novomatic has claimed a new company record in revenues in its FY 2016 report, revealing that revenues rose 10 percent year-on-year to Euro 2.3 billion.
The report, published Monday, notes that the 2016 revenues are the highest in the group’s 36-year history, with the largest increase achieved in gaming machine revenues, which rose by Euro 126.7 million to Euro 1,028.9 million.
Group EBITDA came to Euro 588.5 million (2015: Euro 616.7 million).
During the year under review, the number of employees in the group grew by 18.1 percent to a total of 23,849, and the number of fully consolidated companies in the financial year 2016 increased to 217 (2015: 188).
Harald Neumann, CEO of the Novomatic group, said in a statement:
“Not only did we achieve excellent financial results in 2016, but we also set out clear strategic paths that are particularly important for the further expansion of the group. These include the signing of an agreement to acquire approximately 53 percent of the shares in the publicly traded Australian company Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd. Thanks to the strong presence of Ainsworth in Australia, Asia, North and South America, Novomatic will, in future, also intensify its work in these markets.”
Neumann said that the group will continue to expand in Europe, and to this end a strong signal was sent in the important British market with the acquisition of Talarius Ltd. by the UK branch of the group.
Novomatic also expanded its market position in Germany, Italy and Spain by acquiring numerous smaller companies. In Austria, the acquisition of shares in Casinos Austria AG and Österreichische Lotterien GmbH was the focus of attention, along with the associated decision by the Cartel Court. The legal steps resulting from the acquisition of 17.19 percent of the shares will now be completed in the forthcoming reporting year of 2017.
In order to harness growth opportunities, the group issued a benchmark bond in September 2016 with a volume of Euro 500 million, the first such bond from an Austrian company in 2016.
Combined Group revenue of Novomatic, as well as the two Swiss sister holding companies ACE Casino Holding AG and Gryphon Invest AG, also reached a new high in 2016 at Euro 4,402 million (2015: EUR 3,929 million). Together, the companies in question employ around 29,000 employees worldwide, of which approximately 3,300 are located in Austria.