Novomatic

Novomatic is an international gambling company, founded by the billionaire Johann Graf in 1980.[1]

Novomatic
IndustryGambling
Founded1980
Headquarters
Gumpoldskirchen, Lower Austria
,
Austria
Number of locations
43 countries
Key people
Johann Graf, founder, owner and president
Revenue€5.0 billion (2018)
€359 million (2012)
154,400,000 euro (2016) 
Total assets3,668,200,000 euro (2016) 
Number of employees
23,849 (2016) 
SubsidiariesAdmiral
Talarius

For the year 2018, total revenue was Euro 5.0 billion.[2] The company has offices in 43 countries and also operate casinos, including in locations such as Berlin and Santiago, Chile.[1] The Novomatic Group consists of a three holding companies.[3]

In June 2016, Novomatic bought the UK gambling company Talarius from the Australian Tatts Group.[4]

Instant win and digital scratchcard provider, Gamevy, formed a partnership with Novomatic subsidiary, Novomatic Lottery Solutions (NLS), in November 2016. The tie-up presents NLS with an opportunity to focus on "the broader lottery demographic".[5][6][7]

History

Johann Graf initially partnered with Gerhard Brodnik in the 1970s to start Brodnik & Graf, a company that was importing pinball machines from Belgium. In 1980, Brodnik decided to quit, and Graf oriented towards producing gaming machines under the Admiral brand. A number of Admiral branded casinos were opened.[lower-alpha 1] Novomatic expanded globally during the decade and vastly improved the technology. It was among the first gaming equipment manufacturers to use touch screen technology. Novomatic operates in over 80 countries and has more than 30,000 employees.[12]

Notable acquisitions

In 2010, Novomatic expanded into online gaming business by acquiring controlling stake in London based Greentube studio. Greentube, in addition to their original content, is the main online publisher of already established Novomatic slot games.[13] Greentube then purchased Canadian based Bluebat Games studio in 2015 to further expand its online presence.[14]

In 2018 Novomatic completed the purchase of 52% of Australian gaming equipment maker Ainsworth Game Technology Limited for around 300 million Euros. That was Novomatic's largest acquisition since the acquisition of Greentube in 2010.[15]

Controversies
  • The Novomatic subsidiary G. Matica had not installed the accounting system for the mandatory networking of machines with the Italian tax authorities and was sentenced in 2012 to a fine of 150 million euros. Novomatic considered the claim as "completely unjustified" and appealed against the first instance decision. In June 2014, Novomatic paid a settlement amount of € 47.5 million.[16]
  • In 2009, the Polish government under Prime Minister Donald Tusk planned an increase in gambling levies to finance the budget for European Football Championship 2012 (co-organized with Ukraine). As a result, among other things, lobbyists of the gambling operators exerted influence on the Polish government members against this tax increase. The daily Rzeczpospolita published tape recordings of the Anti-Corruption Authority CBA as the so-called "Black Jack Gate". As a result of the publication, several Polish ministers resigned: Interior Minister Grzegorz Schetyna, Minister of Justice Andrzej Czuma and the Vice-Minister of Economy Andrzej Szejnfeld. [17] [18] The current government in Poland re-opened the gambling case.[19]

Notes
  1. For example, the Austrian Russian Joint Venture JV Neva Chance was a St. Petersburg casino registered in May 1992 and established in 1993.[8] Its co-owners were Novomatic with nearly all its shares and "Neva-Chance" (AOZT "Casino") which had the same address as Vladimir Putin's Committee for External Relations and according to law was supposed to own a share in every St Petersburg casino.[8] The telephone number for "Neva-Chance", JV Casino Neva, and Putin's Committee for External Relations was exactly the same, too.[8] Neva Chance changed its name several times eventually becoming in 1997 the Admiral-Club, however its taxpayer identification number and its registration location at Antonenko Street, 6, had never changed.[8] Through the Swedish Russian Joint Venture JV Petrodin, proceeds from this casino or chorny mal, which Viktor Zolotov acquired for Vladimir Putin, were used as capital to establish Bank Rossiya.[8][9][10][11] Several prestigiously located casinos around St Petersbug are called Admiral.[8]

References
  1. "Johann Graf". Forbes. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  2. ""Novomatic Factsheet 2019"" (PDF). Novomatic. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  3. "Novomatic". Novomatic. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  4. "Novomatic buys Talarius | News | Coin-op | InterGame". intergameonline.com. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  5. "Novomatic Lottery Solutions partners Gamevy for instant win games". gamingintelligence.com. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  6. "Novomatic finalises Ainsworth investment". yogonet.com. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  7. "Kasinot". Tuesday, March 24, 2020
  8. Иванидзе, Владимир (Ivanidze, Vladimir) (8 February 2012). "Кому Нева дала шанс: Игорный бизнес в Санкт-Петербурге начинали российские ОПГ и японские якудза. Под контролем мэрии. Уникальное свидетельство непосредственного участника событий" [To whom the Neva gave a chance: The gambling business in St. Petersburg was started by Russian organized crime groups and Japanese yakuza. Under the control of the city hall. Unique evidence of a direct participant in the events]. Novaya Gazeta. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  9. Кириленко, Анастасия (Kirilenko, Anastasia) (21 April 2016). "Путин глазами якудзы. Японский мафиози рассказал о своем бизнесе в Петербурге" [Putin through the eyes of the Yakuza. Japanese mafiosi spoke about his business in St. Petersburg]. The Insider (in Russian). Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  10. Кириленко, Анастасия (Kirilenko, Anastasia) (2 July 2015). "Мафия на госзаказе. Как новые кремлевские олигархи связаны с преступным миром" [Mafia at the state order. How are the new Kremlin oligarchs connected with the underworld]. The Insider (in Russian). Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  11. "Крыша российской элиты" [The roof of the Russian elite]. Fontaka.ru (in Russian). 23 June 2008. Archived from the original on 27 June 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  12. "Novomatic: History of the Company". June 28, 2017.
  13. "Greentube – Slotplayer.eu".
  14. "BlueBat Games Acquired by Greentube". Digital Magazine. February 2, 2015.
  15. "Novomatic Completes Ainsworth Acquisition". GGB Magazine.
  16. derstandard.at
  17. Jaeger-Dabek, Brigitte (2009-10-07). "Polen : Regierungskrise durch Glückspielaffäre". Das Polen Magazin: News aus Polen, Urlaub in Polen (in German). Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  18. Kulish, Nicholas (2009-10-07). "Three Polish Officials Resign in Gambling Scandal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  19. "Poland - The prosecutor's office is reopening the investigation into the gambling scandal". E-PLAY Online. 2018-01-02. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  20. On general aspects of Corruption in Romania, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_in_Romania; furthermore "Korruptionsaffäre in Rumänien erreicht Novomatic - news.ORF.at". news.ORF.at. 2015-10-04. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  21. "Korruptionsaffäre in Rumänien erreicht Novomatic > Kleine Zeitung". www.kleinezeitung.at. 2015-10-04. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  22. "Rumänien: Korruptionsaffäre erreicht die Novomatic". www.kleinezeitung.at (in German). 2015-10-04. Retrieved 2019-11-26.

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