The Nevada Gaming Control Board has recommended that Harald Neumann, Chief Executive Of Ainsworth Game Technology, withdraw his application for a U.S. gaming licence. This move follows revelations that Neumann is under investigation in Austria for alleged corruption involving far-right politicians a probe he has “strenuously denied.” The board’s decision, delivered just two days before Neumann’s scheduled hearing, casts immediate doubt over his leadership at one of Australia’s largest pokies manufacturers.
Austrian prosecutors have examined text exchanges between Neumann then CEO of Novomatic AG and former Finance Minister Gernot Blümel, in which Neumann sought meetings with then-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. In one 2017 message, Neumann wrote: “I need a short appointment with Kurz (firstly because of a donation and secondly regarding a problem that we have in Italy!” The investigation centers on whether Novomatic influenced appointments to Casinos Austria’s board to secure favorable changes to small-scale gambling laws. Raids on Neumann’s home and Novomatic’s offices in 2019 and 2020 followed, though the company has consistently denied wrongdoing.
Ainsworth Game Technology announced it is “undertaking a review of Mr. Neumann’s role” following the Nevada regulator’s recommendation. Chairman Danny Gladstone confirmed the board would provide further updates once its assessment concludes. Notably, AGT did not disclose Neumann’s involvement in the Austrian probe when appointing him CEO in October 2021, despite his prior role at Novomatic the company’s major shareholder. The silence has drawn scrutiny from minority stakeholders, including Kjerulf Ainsworth, son of the company’s founder.
Kjerulf Ainsworth, who recently joined other minority shareholders in resisting a Novomatic-led takeover attempt, called the Nevada board’s action a sign that “the process is working properly.” Speaking from the U.S., he emphasized that gaming regulators must “keep it all clean” and ensure accountability. His stance reflects growing investor concern over governance transparency, especially as AGT navigates its strategic future in a tightly regulated global gaming market.
Neumann, now based in Las Vegas, continues to deny all allegations tied to the Austrian investigation. An AGT spokesperson told the ABC in June that “all (except for one) of the investigations involving Mr. Harald Neumann and/or Novomatic AG have been dismissed,” adding that the remaining probe is “largely complete” and expected to be dropped. Yet U.S. regulators appear unwilling to wait for final legal closure, underscoring the high compliance bar for executives in the American gaming industry.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board’s stance signals a broader trend: regulators are prioritizing integrity over corporate expediency, even when legal outcomes remain pending. For Ainsworth Game Technology a firm built on decades of trust in Australia’s tightly monitored pokies sector the reputational stakes could not be higher. As the board deliberates Neumann’s fate, the company faces a pivotal crossroads between loyalty to leadership and compliance with international standards. In The World Of Gambling, Trust Is The Only Currency That Pays Out.
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