Ainsworth Game Technology has entered into a patent licensing agreement with Aristocrat Technologies, securing access to key gameplay features in the Australian market. The agreement also resolves potential claims relating to Ainsworth's historic use of the patented technology.
Effective immediately, the agreement grants Ainsworth a non-exclusive licence covering Aristocrat's Australian gameplay feature patents, including its Hold & Spin patent family, allowing the company to incorporate those features into Ainsworth-branded electronic gaming machines as well as online and mobile games sold in Australia.
The arrangement also includes a royalty-free licence covering Aristocrat's responsible gaming patents, including technologies related to digital wallets, account-based play, player limits, self-exclusion, player messaging and AI-based risk detection. Those rights will remain in place until the underlying patents expire.
In return, Aristocrat has received a non-exclusive licence over Ainsworth's Australian patents for Aristocrat-branded products. Both companies have also agreed to release each other from claims relating to past use of the licensed patents and entered into mutual non-challenge commitments covering the licensed intellectual property.
As part of the agreement, Ainsworth will pay Aristocrat a total of AU$8.5m in instalments over the three-and-a-half-year term, while the remaining commercial terms have not been disclosed.
The agreement follows negotiations between the two companies after Aristocrat's successful patent litigation in Australia in 2025. Ainsworth said the deal provides greater certainty as it pursues its strategic growth plans in the domestic market while also ensuring customers, distributors and venue operators automatically receive pass-through rights to use, service and resell licensed products supplied during the agreement.
The announcement comes shortly after Ainsworth upgraded its first-half 2026 outlook following a US$2.7m refund of tariffs previously paid under the United States' International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The company now expects first-half revenue of approximately AU$116m, underlying EBITDA of around AU$17m, and underlying profit before tax of approximately AU$5m. Net debt is also forecast to improve to about AU$8m, with full interim results expected on or around 25 August.
The agreement follows Aristocrat's successful 2025 Federal Court patent case and comes ahead of Ainsworth's first-half earnings release later this month
