Novomatic was established in 1980 and successfully produced its first line of gaming machines, called Admiral Monteux. The next 9 years were predominantly focused on expansion; first Europe, then the rest of the world, including South Africa. Towards the end of that decade, Novomatic also opened its first casino, Admiral Monteux.
In the ’90s Novamatic launched American Poker II, transferred casino equipment in South Africa, laid the foundation for NOVO investment, and started working on subsidiary, Sportwetten GmbH Admiral. During this time, they also opened the doors to the largest casino in the Czech Republic. Their expansion drive continued too, and by the end of the decade, Novomatic had built new production facilities all over the world and had established major contracts in over 30 nations including Botswana, Namibia, Estonia, Poland, Norway, Latvia, and Germany. Further highlights include the development of ASIC hardware in 1994, obtaining their first license for Ontario and Canada in 1995, and listing on the South African stock exchange in 1996.
The new millennium heralded the establishment of AG and Admiral casinos in Switzerland. In addition, Novomatic received four more licenses and opened its first airport casino in Frankfurt. Particular milestones during this period are the development of Novomatic’s Coolfire II portable casino hardrive platform, and their positioning as a market leader in Estonia. By 2008, the company had expanded into the Philippines, and re-launched to the Novomatic website.
Novomatic braved the digital world in 2010 when they acquired the Greentube Group. The following year they bought major shares in Empire Games, and subsequently launched their own Responsible Gaming Staff Training program.
The Novomatic Group of today is one of the largest gaming technology companies in the world, with a turnover of around EUR 2.3 billion recorded in 2016. The Group has locations in 50 countries and exports high-tech gaming equipment to 80 countries worldwide.
