Aristocrat Leisure longtime CEO to retire; profit rises on slot machine boom

SYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Aristocrat Leisure ALL.AX said on Thursday that Chief Executive Trevor Croker would step down after a decade leading one of the world's biggest gambling machine makers, as it posted an annual profit of A$1.45 billion ($991.4 million).

Croker will retire in April next year and be succeeded by Dafne Guisard, chief commercial officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, after she joined the company in early 2026 from sports betting giant Entain ENT.L.

Aristocrat shares fell more than 6% after the announcement.

"Ten years is a long time as a CEO," Croker told Reuters.

"It's also an opportunity when you look at the talent that Aristocrat has to put that talent into the market and give them the opportunity to drive the next wave of growth."

Aristocrat said it considered both internal and external candidates before appointing Guisard.

"I will bring a different set of skills and perspectives and a fresh set of eyes," Guisard told analysts on a call. "But this is an evolution, not a reset."

For the 12 months that ended in September, Aristocrat's revenue fell 3.2% to A$6.1 billion, while post-tax profit rose 2.1% to A$1.45 billion.

In North America, the firm's largest market, profit from its casino gaming unit rose 8.7% to $1.27 billion. It grew its total installed machines by 6,500 to nearly 82,000, taking market share to 39%.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Wilson said the results were "positive for the company, notwithstanding the retirement of the CEO."

Croker's retirement comes as Aristocrat seeks to expand beyond its traditional gaming business to grow its online gambling arm, targeting $1 billion in revenue by the 2029 financial year.

Aristocrat fell behind pace at its half-year update for its online gambling goal, but a series of new game releases meant it was confident it would make the timeline, Croker said. At present, online gambling revenue stands at $457 million.

He was also confident in the strength of the North American market despite consumers cutting back on spending due to higher living costs.

"People are still going to casinos and they're going there for a special occasion," he said. "We're still seeing that resilience in the gaming sector."

The US midterm election results were unlikely to have an immediate impact on Aristocrat's business, he added.

"I don't think it means anything at the moment," he said. "What we've seen to date is there's been no real public policy gaming for anybody."

($1 = 1.4601 Australian dollars)