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Publishing its results for the six months to March 31, 2018, Australian gaming giant Aristocrat reported revenues of AU$1.58bn (€1.02bn), up 28.5 per cent year on year, and profit after tax of AU$256.5m (€165.5m), up 2.8 per cent.

Boosted by its acquisitions in the sector, Aristocrat saw huge gains in its digital business, with revenues tripling in the period, to AU$552.9m (€356.8m) – up from  AU$172.4m (AU$111.25m) in H1, 2017.

This growth was driven largely by Seattle-based Big Fish Games, the mobile casual gaming specialist acquired by Aristocrat for US$990m.

Aristocrat’s Americas business remains the company’s biggest, for now at least, delivering revenues of AU$764.9m (€493.6m) in the six-month period, up 6.9 per cent year on year.

COMMENTS: The acquisition of Big Fish has not been without some drawbacks, not least the lawsuit against the social gaming company in the US state of Washington. But these stunning figures from Aristocrat suggest that it is a gamble that will pay off. It also positions Aristocrat well in the US as the post-PASPA landscape begins to take shape.