Global gaming giant Aristocrat has reported a 4.9% increase in revenues to AU$6.60 billion (US$4.31 billion) in the 12 months ended 30 September 2024, aided by strength in the Asian land-based gaming market.
Releasing its financial results early Wednesday, the Australian-listed firm also revealed an 18.5% increase in EBITDA to AU$2.47 billion (US$1.61 billion) on an improved 37.4% margin, although net profit after tax fell by 8.4% year-on-year to AU$1.41 billion (US$921 million). On a normalized basis, net profit after tax would have shown a 17.2% increase to AU$1.56 billion (US$1.02 billion).
The FY24 results included revenue of AU$3.63 billion (US$2.37 billion) in the company’s core Aristocrat Gaming segment, up 4.8% year-on-year and due in part to “strong volume growth and product mix” in Asia. This, Aristocrat explained, partially offsetting a reduction in unit sales in the ANZ (Australia and New Zealand) market of some 3,800 units.
With ANZ ship share falling to 34% due to increased competition, Rest of the World revenue was down 1.8% to AU$731.6 million (US$478 million). North America grew by 6.1% to AU$1.92 billion (US$1.25 billion) “driven by continued growth in the Gaming Operations footprint, supported by the depth and strength of the portfolio,” Aristocrat said.
The company’s social casino arm Pixel United saw revenue remain flat at AU$1.75 billion (US$1.14 billion) with EBITDA of US$655.6 million (US$428 million) while real money gaming segment Aristocrat Interactive reported revenue of US$223.9 million (US$146 million), up 85%, with EBITDA of AU$71.5 million (US$46.7 million). Aristocrat explained that its RMG performance was driven by organic growth in platforms and continued scaling of iGaming across North America and Europe, as well as the inclusion of five months of NeoGames and a full year of Roxor.
“The Group delivered strong revenue and EBITDA growth over the year,” said Aristocrat’s CEO and Managing Director, Trevor Croker.
“This was underpinned by Aristocrat Gaming’s performance, led by an exceptional North America Gaming Operations result with a record installed base unit growth of ~7,100 net additions over the PCP. There was strong momentum in Aristocrat Interactive, with the inclusion of NeoGames for five months, while Pixel United achieved improved profitability. This result again highlights resilience and scale as fundamental strengths of our business, supported by an effective focus on operational efficiency and extracting operating leverage.
“We established Aristocrat Interactive during the year and are progressing in the integration of NeoGames into the business. The creation of Interactive was a significant strategic milestone, and we are seeing momentum build across all areas of the business, with excitement and confidence about its prospects.
“Looking ahead, we continue to see strong momentum in our core business as we focus on portfolio performance and seek to capture the significant strategic opportunities in front of us. We are committed to our capital management strategy and our ongoing on-market share buy-back program, and to implementing the outcomes of the strategic review of the Group’s casual and mid-core gaming assets.”
Aristocrat’s Board of Directors have authorized a final unfranked dividend of 42.0 cents per share, totalling AU$264 million (US$172 million) in dividend distribution, for FY4, the company said.