Aristocrat said statutory net profit in the six months through March was 346 million Australian dollars (US$269 million). Normalized net profit before amortization of acquired intangibles, or Npata, was A$412 million, a 12% rise compared to the prior corresponding period. Normalized earnings before interest, tax and other items, or Ebitda, was A$750 million, a 6% rise.
"In the Aristocrat Gaming business, exceptional product performance and customer engagement, coupled with stronger than expected consumer sentiment and economic conditions in the United States and ANZ region, drove profit growth compared to the PCP," said the company.
In addition, Aristocrat Digital delivered above industry-average growth in bookings, translating into revenue and profit growth compared to the PCP. The business benefited from a diverse portfolio of world-class titles, as well as strong investment in User Acquisition (UA), Live Ops, new game content and features. Overall demand continued to be elevated, compared to pre-COVID levels.
Aristocrat Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Trevor Croker, said “These results reflect the fact that we have the right strategy, and made the right choices to sustain our investment in outstanding people and product, customers, talent and culture throughout the COVID-impacted period.
“As a result, we have continued to take share and maintained our leadership of key Gaming markets and segments, while also growing our share in Digital games, where we are now a top 5 game publisher in tier 1 Western markets.
“We expect economic conditions across key markets over the full year to remain uncertain, as a result of ongoing COVID-driven volatility. We are closely monitoring key factors including consumer sentiment, gaming venue patronage and currency headwinds. We will continue to rigorously execute our strategy over the second half of fiscal 2021, with increased investment in D&D, UA to support new game launches and existing games and strategic capabilities that will sustain our longer term growth.”
The company will report its full result for the half on May 24.