Novomatic is an international gambling company based inAustria, founded byJohann Graf in 1980.[4]
Novomatic operates about 2,000 casinos and other gaming facilities in about 50 countries, many of them under theAdmiral Casino brand.[5] It also offers online gambling, and producesslot machines and other technology for the gaming industry. As of 2021, it has about 21,000 employees and annual revenue of €1.8 billion.
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 gambling machines under the Admiral brand. A number of Admiral branded casinos were opened.[a] Novomatic expanded globally during the decade and vastly improved the technology. It was among the first gambling equipment manufacturers to use touch screen technology.
In 2010, Novomatic expanded into online gambling 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. Greentube then purchased Canadian based Bluebat Games studio in 2015 to further expand its online presence.[10]
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".[11][12]
In 2018 Novomatic completed the purchase of 52% of Australian gambling equipment maker Ainsworth Game Technology Limited for around 300 million Euros. That was Novomatic's largest acquisition since the acquisition of Greentube in 2010.[13]
In November 2022, it was announced Novomatic had acquired theItalian gambling business, HBG Group.[14]
This segment accounts for 56% of the company's revenues as of 2021, with the bulk of the business coming from Austria, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Eastern Europe.[16]
Novomatic subsidiary Löwen Entertainment operates about 520 Admiral Spielhalle slot arcades around Germany.[17][18] Novomatic also operates casinos in Germany, including the Spielbank Berlin.[19][20]
Novomatic operates Admiral Casino in the United Kingdom, a brand that includes a licensed online casino, as well as a chain of more than 270 gambling venues in the UK operated by Luxury Leisure. Its online casino includesslots,jackpot games,roulette,blackjack, table games, and live casino. Luxury Leisure is owned by Greentube Alderney Limited, part of the Greentube group, which in turn is owned by Novomatic.
In 2014, Novomatic acquired Luxury Leisure, which operated seaside amusement arcades and other venues. In June 2016, Novomatic bought the UK gambling company Talarius, which operated theQuicksilver high street gambling outlets, from theTatts Group.[21][22][23] These retail gambling arcades were combined and rebranded as "Admiral".[23][22]
In 2018, Greentube Alderney launched the Admiral-branded online casino, AdmiralCasino.co.uk.[23]
Admiral Casino is licensed to operate a remote gaming business in the United Kingdom from the UK Gambling Commission. Admiral Casino is licensed[24] and regulated by theAlderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) (GCB).
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.[25]
In 2009, the Polish government under Prime MinisterDonald Tusk planned an increase in gambling levies to finance the budget forEuropean 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 dailyRzeczpospolita published tape recordings of theAnti-Corruption Authority CBA as the so-called "Black Jack Gate". As a result of the publication, several Polish ministers resigned: Interior MinisterGrzegorz Schetyna, Minister of JusticeAndrzej Czuma and the Vice-Minister of EconomyAndrzej Szejnfeld.[26][27] The current government in Poland re-opened the gambling case.[28]
In December 2021 Greentube Alderney was fined £685,000 by the UK Gambling Commission following an investigation that uncovered money laundering and social responsibility failures.[32][33]
^For example, the Austrian Russian Joint VentureJV Neva Chance was aSt. Petersburg casino registered in May 1992 and established in 1993.[6] Its co-owners were Novomatic with nearly all its shares and "Neva-Chance" (AOZT "Casino") which had the same address asVladimir Putin's Committee for External Relations and according to law was supposed to own a share in every St Petersburg casino.[6] The telephone number for "Neva-Chance", JV Casino Neva, and Putin's Committee for External Relations was exactly the same, too.[6] Neva Chance changed its name several times eventually becoming in 1997 theAdmiral-Club, however its taxpayer identification number and its registration location at Antonenko Street, 6, had never changed.[6] Through the Swedish Russian Joint VentureJV Petrodin, proceeds from this casino orchorny mal, whichViktor Zolotov acquired for Vladimir Putin, were used as capital to establishBank Rossiya.[6][7][8][9] Several prestigiously located casinos around St Petersburg are calledAdmiral.[6]
