legal-united-states-poker-sites
  • Online Poker
    • Card Rooms
    • Poker Apps
    • Real Money Online Poker
    • Poker Games
      • Caribbean Stud
      • Mississippi Stud
      • Texas Hold'em
      • 5 Card Stud
      • 7 Card Stud
      • 5 Card Draw
      • 3 Card Poker
      • Omaha
      • Omaha Hi Lo
      • Horse Poker
  • Reviews
    • Americas Cardroom
    • Betonline
    • Black Chip Poker
    • Bovada
    • Everygame
    • Ignition
    • Juicy Stakes
    • Sportsbetting Poker
  • Deposit Methods
    • Bitcoin
    • Prepaid Visa
    • Visa
    • Cash App
    • Mastercard
  • Poker By State
    • Alabama
    • Alaska
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • California
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Indiana
    • Idaho
    • Indiana
    • Illinois
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Kentucky
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • Maryland
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Mississippi
    • Missouri
    • Montana
    • Nebraska
    • Nevada
    • New Hampshire
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • North Carolina
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • Oklahoma
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Rhode Island
    • South Carolina
    • South Dakota
    • Tennessee
    • Texas
    • Utah
    • Vermont
    • Virginia
    • Washington
    • West Virginia
    • Wisconsin
    • Wyoming
  • World Series of Poker
    • Schedule
    • Main Event
    • Satellite
  • Poker Strategy
    • Bankroll Management
    • Betting Rules
    • Bluffing
    • Check Raising
    • Hand Rankings
  • Tournaments
Flag Background
Home › News › Jamie Odell of Aristocrat Leisure Is Number 3, But Hopes to Move Up

Jamie Odell of Aristocrat Leisure Is Number 3, But Hopes to Move Up

Written by Cliff Spiller
Last updated on January 10th, 2024
Featured Image While IGT and Bally Technologies were being bought for several billion dollars apiece, the number 3 slot machine manufacturer continues to operate as an independent force in the gaming industry. Jamie Odell of Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. recently gave an interview in which he said his company won't be satisfied simply being competitive, but wants to move up the list of gaming manufacturers. New Competition: GTECH and Scientific Gaming In the past 12 months, the #1 slots manufacturers, IGT, was purchased by GTECH, the multinational lottery corporation which seems to operate the lottery for dozens of countries in the world and over a dozen US states. Then Bally Technologies, the second-largest slot machine manufacturer, was purchased by Scientific Games Corporation. Scientific Games also made billions in the lottery industry, printing the Mega Millions and Powerball lottery tickets. The July 2014 GTECH purchase cost of IGT cost $6.4 billion. The November 2014 purchase of Bally Technologies by Scientific Gaming cost $3.3 billion. Both purchases marked seismic shifts in the global slot machine industry. Amidst all the furur, Aristocrat Leisure's moves did not receive much attention. But the Australian gaming company remains viable in a rapidly-changing industry. Video Gaming Technologies Around the time IGT was being bought, Aristocrat was buying Video Gaming Technologies for $1.3 billion. VGT is a Tennessee-based slot machine manufacturer which places machines in the Native American casinos around the United States. Because the Class II gaming machines do not appear in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, those machines do not seem to get as much press as their Class III counterparts. The tribal gaming industry in the United States generates $30 billion in revenue each year, roughly the same amount generated by the much-ballyhooed Macau gaming industry in 2014. Buying the Video Gaming Technologies was a major move for Jamie Odell and Aristocrat Leisure, one with significant upside and not much downside. Unlike Macau, no one leader's decisions are going to materially affect the 240 tribal casinos in the United States. Jamie Odell sees it that way. While he is reluctant to admit his company is #3 in the slot machine market, he will tell you Aristocrat is closing in on being the number one company in placing slot machines in tribal casinos. Strategic Thinking As Odell recently was about to meet with Aristocrat Leisure managers from around the country at Encore, he told a reporter, "The big moves have been made. It's now about being strategic in what we do to work with our customers." These days, gaming executives use words like "strategic" and "tactical". When they use those terms, they tend to mean less-dramatic investments which give them an edge without burdening their company with too much debt. They mean tactical in the military sense, on a lower-level, with an eye to sensible expansion. For the third competitor in the industry, it's almost always about making the smart choice and not the bold choice, essentially playing Moneyball. Being Nimble in Business Odell has another favorite catchword: "nimble". He explained to the Las Vegas Journal-Times recently what it means to be nimble. He said, "We work hard to be nimble and that's why it's important to empower everyone to hold to that theme. We have to have speed to market. That way, we can bring our products out faster." One of the ways Aristocrat Leisure has become nimble is to make forward-thinking investments in emerging technologies and trendy new forms of gambling. In 2012, Aristocrat bought a San Francisco-based social gaming company. The purchase tripled the company's revenues. In doing so, Aristocrat became a global company. Though Jamie Odell continues to live in Australia, about half of the company's executives live in the United States now. With the purchase of Video Gaming Technologies, Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. now has 3,000 worldwide employees. Buffalo Poker Machines With the tribal gaming and interactive gaming niches to penetrate, the company plans to convert its popular Australian pokies line into American and international products. Buffalo Pokies were debuted at least year's Global Gaming Conference. Licensed products like "The Walking Dead", "Batman", and "Tarzan" are also set to be marketed to a wider audience. Speaking of nimbleness, Aristocrat continues to add licensed products. In the next year, "Game of Thrones", "Sons of Anarchy", and "Big Bang Theory" will be released. Though IGT and Bally Technologies might continue to be the giants dominating the US slot machine industry, Aristocrat Leisure remains a viable third option with its own niche. About Aristocrat Leisure Aristocrat Leisure was founded in Australia in the 1950s by the legendary Len Ainsworth. The company became the leading manufacturer of Australian slot machines--called poker machines or pokies. Over the decades, Aristcrat pokies were found in every corner of Australia, where Aussies love their pokies more than Americans love slots. The industry changed. Len Ainsworth left the company he founded in the 1990s and founded a chief rival: Ainsworth Gaming Technologies. AGT is top Australian competitor, though restricted strictly to the Land Down Under. Meanwhile, IGT Australia became the major competition for Aristocrat. The Australian company eventually emulated its American rival and went international, so the 21st century should entail decades of global competition.

Comments

Leave a CommentCancel Reply
Placeholder Image Sign Up
Kristen Foxen playing poker

The Top WSOP Women Poker Players Ever

Poker Player with Head on Table Angry after Bad Beat

Worst Bad Beat Poker Hands in WSOP History

WSOP cash money

Where to Play Cash Games at the WSOP

See All
Shaun Deeb With his Winning poker chips and hand

Shaun Deeb Claims Seventh WSOP Bracelet in PLO High Roller Win

Kabrhel KingWins mini main event

Martin Kabrhel Wins the Mini Main Event

Ian Pelz Winning the Gladiators Event

Pelz on Top After Gladiators of Poker Battle for Bracelet

See All
Legal Us Poker Sites
Browse Our Site
  • Poker Reviews
    • Ignition Review
    • Bovada Review
    • Everygame Review
    • BetOnline Review
    • Juicy Stakes Poker Review
    • Americas Cardroom Review
  • State Laws
    • Texas
    • Florida
    • California
    • Virginia
    • Washington
    • Ohio
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Colorado
  • New York
  • Arizona
  • Massachusetts
  • Wisconsin
  • Contact Us
  • Responsible Gambling
  • About Us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
You Are In Safe Hands
Our Recommended Poker Sites Have Been Verified by
18+ BeGambleAware MGA
Follow us:

© 2024 Hyperdrive Promotions UAB | All Rights Reserved. Trust in Your Bets, Gamble Responsibly.
For Visitors 18 Years and Older.

Hyperdrive Promotions UAB
Level 27, Wing On Centre, 111 Connaught Road Central
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Tel:+1 (419) 601-6487