Australian gaming group Aristocrat Leisure has published its financial results for the first half of the 2026 financial year, which ended on 31 March. The company recorded a 6.4 per cent increase in revenue in constant currencies, with normalised profit after tax and amortisation of intangibles (NPATA) rising by 8.4 per cent to AUD 794 million (€489.9 million). Aristocrat saw consistent market share gains in key segments.
Gaming operations market share hits 43 per cent
Aristocrat Gaming, which produces and services land-based casino slot machines, reported revenue growth of 4.9 per cent to AUD 1,960.6 million (€1.2 billion). EBITA margin stood at 54.2 per cent, down slightly from 54.9 per cent a year earlier amid investments in product expansion. Its market share in the Gaming Operations segment, where casinos pay for machine usage rather than outright purchase, reached 43 per cent. This means nearly one in every two such machines operating in North America and Australia is produced by Aristocrat.
Product Madness leads social casino with DTC growth
Meanwhile, the Product Madness division develops mobile social casino games. Social Casino revenue rose 4.7 per cent to USD 541.7 million with a 23 per cent market share, maintaining industry leadership. Margin growth was driven by higher direct-to-consumer (DTC) revenue, including sales direct to players bypassing App Store and Google Play. DTC accounted for 24 per cent of revenue versus 13 per cent in HY FY2025. DTC avoids platform fees of up to 30 per cent.
Product Madness’ financials were shaped by the February 2025 restructuring, when Aristocrat Leisure rebranded its Pixel United division. This was preceded by the successful sale of Plarium Global Limited to Modern Times Group, a move that shifted the company’s focus towards its core competencies in regulated gaming and content.
Revenue from the iLottery segment increased by 6.5 per cent to USD 230.3 million, up from approximately USD 216 million a year ago. North American iLottery and Content showed the strongest gains.
Executive commentary
CEO Trevor Crocker described the results as strong, achieved alongside development investments: “EPSA growth of 19 per cent in constant currencies reflects disciplined execution, strong revenue momentum across the portfolio and a focus on operating leverage. Market leadership and scale are our fundamental advantages.”
EPSA (earnings per share adjusted for amortisation of intangibles) reached AUD 1.29 versus AUD 1.163 a year earlier, up 10.9 per cent in reported currency and 19.1 per cent in constant currencies.
Shareholder returns and outlook
Aristocrat has expanded its share buyback programme by an additional AUD 1 billion (€617 million) and extended it to 12 May 2027.
For the financial year ending 30 September 2026, Aristocrat expects further NPATA growth in constant currencies. Gaming Operations anticipates net installations in the upper half of the 4,000-5,000 unit range, gains in market share for Product Madness via DTC and accelerated growth for Aristocrat Interactive towards a revenue target of USD 1 billion by FY2029, roughly tripling current levels over four years.
This article was originally published in Russian on 13 May 2026.
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