The top sales executive of Austrian gaming supplier Novomatic AG says that Australia-based Ainsworth Game Technology will help Novomatic—now Ainsworth’s largest shareholder—expand its footprint in Asian casino markets.
Lawrence Levy, Novomatic’s vice president of global sales, told GGRAsia that his company has shared technology and R&D with Ainsworth after acquiring the 52 percent ownership stake of founder Len Ainsworth early this year. “We are sharing each other’s experiences and sharing each other’s concepts of game mathematics,” Levy said. “we are moving forward over the next two years at integrating games, game themes and platforms that we use, so we can consolidate further.”
He added that cooperation on technology does not mean the companies are merging; both remain independent companies. “The important thing is that Ainsworth is strong where we’re still entering, and we’re strong in Europe, a market where Ainsworth is not.”
Novomatic is trying to expand into Asian markets including the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and South Korea. “In Vietnam, we’re working now on what I think is the first integrated resort (in that country) where Vietnamese are allowed to come and play, which should be opening within the next six weeks,” Levy told GGRAsia. “We’ve taken about 30 percent of the floor there, so that’s a big entrance for us.”
