Aristocrat delivers strong first half result with 19% EPSA constant currency growth and market share gains in key markets

/PRNewswire/ —

Key Highlights

• Revenue growth of 6% in constant currency, driven by market share gains in key markets and underlying business momentum.
• Normalised NPATA grew 8% to $794 million, or 16% in constant currency, reflecting ongoing execution of our long-term growth strategy, while continuing to invest in market-leading talent, technology and product.
• Aristocrat Gaming continued to deliver market share gains led by exceptional performance in North American and Australian Outright Sales and continued expansion of the Gaming Operations installed base, supported by the depth and strength of the portfolio.
• Product Madness’ Social Casino franchises continued to outperform the market reflecting focused investment in User Acquisition and effective direct-to-consumer conversion.
• Aristocrat Interactive’s revenue growth was driven by strong performance in iLottery and Contentpartially offset by the strategic decision to exit White Label.
• Continued execution of capital management strategy with $981 million in cash returned to shareholders through dividends and on-market share buy-backs, and announcing an on-market share buy-back program increase of $1 billion (up to $2.5 billion in aggregate) and an extension through to 12 May 2027.

Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL) today announced its financial results for the six months ended 31 March 2026.

Aristocrat’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Trevor Croker, said “Aristocrat delivered a strong first half, with clear progress across the business and market share gains in key segments. Our earnings growth reflects disciplined execution, strong revenue momentum throughout our portfolio, and a continued focus on efficiency and extracting operating leverage. This result once again highlights our market leadership and scale as fundamental strengths of the business. At the same time, we have maintained a balanced approach to capital allocation, returning capital to shareholders while investing strategically to strengthen our long-term growth and resilience.

“I am also pleased that we continue to attract first-class leadership talent to the company and our Board of Directors. We have added new members to the Aristocrat leadership team who bring important skills in AI, iGaming, commercial and operational management, and marketing, building on the established and proven leadership team. As part of our disciplined Board succession process, Michael Rumbolz has been nominated by the Board as a non-executive director, effective 1 July 2026, subject to receipt of all relevant regulatory pre-approvals. Michael brings more than 45 years of experience across the gaming industry, and we are proud to have someone of his calibre join the Aristocrat Board.

“Looking ahead, we are well-positioned for the full-year and to capture the strategic opportunities in front of us. Our operating model is driving greater efficiency and scale, and we are increasingly leveraging AI to enhance our strategic advantages and transform our processes. We remain committed to our capital management strategy and our on-market share buy-back program,” Mr Croker concluded.

The Directors have authorised an interim unfranked dividend of 50.0 cents per share ($301 million¹) for the period ended 31 March 2026. The record and payment dates for the dividend are 26 May 2026 and 1 July 2026, respectively.

Operational Highlights

Aristocrat’s portfolio of scaled, world-class assets across Aristocrat Gaming, Product Madness and Aristocrat Interactive delivered a strong result over the six months to 31 March 2026, demonstrating the strength, competitiveness and diversification of our portfolio, and solid fundamentals in the markets in which we operate.

Aristocrat Gaming:

Aristocrat Gaming was driven by exceptional Outright Sales growth, with share gains in North America and ANZ. This was further supported by expansion in the Gaming Operations installed base footprint, with market share growth to 43%²highlighting the depth and strength of the Aristocrat Gaming portfolio. Profit margin reflected the mix effect from the exceptionally strong Outright Sales performance.

Product Madness:

Product Madness increased its Social Casino revenue by 5% and maintained its leadership position in the Social Casino Slots market, with 23%¹ market share. Excluding Social Casual, which was sold early in the half, profit margin improved 1% to 47%, driven by continued revenue growth and lower platform-related costs due to higher direct-to-consumer sales (now 24% of Social Casino revenues, up from 13% in the prior corresponding period). This was partially offset by higher UA spend to support above-market growth.

Aristocrat Interactive:

Revenue growth of 7% was driven by iLottery and the continued scaling of Content, primarily across North America, partially offset by Platforms. Segment profit decreased compared to the prior corresponding period, driven by investment in newly acquired businesses and the strategic decision to exit the White Label business, partly offset by a favourable mix contribution from iLottery and Content.

Outlook²

Aristocrat expects to deliver NPATA growth over the full year to 30 September 2026 on a constant currency basis, reflecting:

• Continued revenue and market share growth from Aristocrat Gaming, supported by net unit growth in Gaming Operations at the upper end of the 4,000 to 5,000 target range;
• Continued market share growth from Product Madness, with an increasing contribution from DTC;
• Accelerating performance at Aristocrat Interactive toward our FY29 US$1 billion Revenue Target³ through further scaling of Content and investing in iLottery to support broader market access in North America and Europe.

Additional detail for modelling inputs for the full fiscal year to 30 September 2026 are available in the Investor Presentation.

Authorised for lodgement by: Emma Leske, Company Secretary

Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL) is a global entertainment and gaming content creation company powered by technology. Our reporting segments span regulated land-based gaming (Aristocrat Gaming), Social Casino (Product Madness) and regulated online real money gaming (Aristocrat Interactive). Aristocrat offers a diverse range of products and services including electronic gaming machines, casino management systems, online real money games, including iLottery, and free-to-play mobile games, that serve customers and entertain millions of players worldwide every day. Our team of ~7,300 people across the globe is united by our company mission to bring joy to life through the power of play. For more information: www.aristocrat.com

SOURCE Aristocrat Technologies, Inc.