Ainsworth updates profit forecast for the second time this month

Things seem to be getting better rapidly for Ainsworth Game Technology (AGT). After striking a sizeable deal with Churchill Downs in the US, it adjusted its revenue forecast up a few notches, increasing its expected revenue from $14.7 to $26.5 million for the second half of the year. Now, the Australian company is at it again, saying that its revenue for this last fiscal year was better than previously anticipated. It also expects the second-half earnings to increase even more than previous suggested.

In submitting its financial report to the Australian Securities Exchange on July 18, AGT said that its before-tax profits for the previous fiscal year would be around $28.97 million. This was up from the $26.49 million previously stated. AGT also said that it would register a second-half pre-tax profit of $16.77 million, a $2-million increase over previous projections earlier this month.

In citing the deal with Churchill Downs as being a major factor for the readjustment in May, the company also recognized that its business during the second half of this year could falter due to several reasons. It said that the second-half sales prospects would be “adversely affected by a range of factors, including competitive activity, regulatory approval delays in product submissions and further product development changes which have deferred the approval and release of previously scheduled key game titles until first half financial year 2019.”

Novomatic AG, a gaming equipment supplier out of Austria, took control of 52% of AGT this past January. That deal was worth around $348.3 million and has allowed the Australian slot machine company to branch out into new markets in both the US and in Asia.