The History of the Novomatic Group of Companies

1990

• American Poker II launched in the market - it will go down in the History of Gaming as "The Legend"
• First deliveries of full-range casino equipment to the Republic of South Africa
• Foundation of NOVO-Invest Casino Development AG, today's NOVOMATIC AG

1991

• Foundation of Admiral Sportwetten GmbH as a 100% subsidiary of NOVOMATIC AG
• Opening of the largest casino in the Czech Repbulic in Prague in a Joint Venture with the City of Prague

1992

• Foundation of new production facilities in various countries to meet the ever increasing demand for gaming machines

1993

• Novomatic Group has engagements in more than 30 countries worldwide. Growth of the Group is accelerated further with new emerging gaming jurisdictions. Subsidiaries are established in Germany, Norway, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Namibia and Botswana.
• Opening of Plant 2 in Gumpoldskirchen

1994

• Development of the new ASIC Applied Specific Integrated Circuit hardware platform as the basis for a new generation of high-tech slot machines
• Opening of Plant 3 in Gumpoldskirchen

1995

• License for Ontario / Canada – first license awarded to Novomatic Group in Northern America
• Opening of a kursaal casino in Baden near Zürich / Switzerland as well as in Davos / Switzerland
• Beginning of the development of multi-player devices
• Interactive Multi-Games launched in the market to revolutionise especially the AWP sector

1996

• Acquisition of shares in Admiral Leisure World Ltd. leads to a successful listing on the stock exchange in South Africa
• Foundation of AS Novoloto as a joint venture between NOVOMATIC AG and AS Eesti Loto, Estonia's state-owned lotteries company
• Opening of kursaal casinos in Saxon les Bains and Weggis / Switzerland
• Opening of Admiral am Kurpark Hotel in the spa town of Baden outside Vienna – diversification into the hotel industry
• Beginning of the restructuring and renaming process of Novomatic Industries GmbH to Austrian Gaming Industries GmbH (AGI). AGI now responsible for all R&D domains and production, distribution and marketing activities.

1997

• Development of the Coolfire™ Coldfire Risc Processor casino hardware platform as a final step towards high-technology gaming, serves as a basis for interactive live games
• Opening of Admiral Foxtown Casino in Mendrisio / Switzerland, half an hour's drive from Milan, Italy
• Presentation of the first multi-player machines. After the automation of the Roulette game, the development of TouchBet® Live-Roulette revolutionises the live games : With the first-time ever blend of the fascination of live games with the new possibilities of advanced gaming technology, AGI delivers an innovation of worldwide recognition taking once again a pioneering position for Novomatic Group : Now up to 250 players can join in a live Roulette game at the same time and space is no longer a physical hindrance to the number of participants in a game.

1998

• Opening of casinos at Heringsdorf and Stralsund / Germany in co-operation with Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe
• New gaming law enacted in the Republic of South Africa based on US model legislation. First license awarded by Mpumalanga is to become the decisive step to South Africa
• Manufacturer & Supplier License for Colorado (USA)
• Opening of EDP facilities in Komorany / Czech Republic
• EDP acquires Paradise Casino International, an operator of two casinos in the Czech Republic

1999

• Acquisition of shares of Spielbank Berlin by Prof. Johann F. Graf as an engagement in one of the most successful casinos in Germany
• Licenses awarded for the Provinces of Gauteng, Kwazulu Natal, and the Western Cape in the Republic of South Africa
• Beginning of a cooperation between AGI and British Technical Casino Supplies (TCS) to strengthen the activities in the English gaming market
• Opening of Plant 4 in Gumpoldskirchen