In this research we analyzed and compared detailed financial and corporate governance information of four prominent companies: Evolution AB (publ), Aristocrat Leisure Limited, International Game Technology PLC, and Playtech plc. 

Research Goals and Objectives

Research Objective: Compare the companies Evolution AB (publ), Aristocrat Leisure Limited, International Game Technology PLC, and Playtech plc. 

Research Tasks:

• Find detailed financial information and corporate governance information from the company's public reports Evolution AB (publ);
• Find detailed financial information and corporate governance information from the company's public reports Aristocrat Leisure Limited;
• Find detailed financial information and corporate governance information from the company's public reports International Game Technology PLC;
• Find detailed financial information and corporate governance information from the company's public reports Playtech plc;
• Conduct a comparative analysis of the companies Evolution AB (publ), Aristocrat Leisure Limited, International Game Technology PLC, and Playtech plc;
• Draw conclusions based on the analyzed data.

Disclaimers

The information collected in this report reflects data from the company's public reports and is not questioned or verified via other sources. In other words, information from the company's public reports is taken and used as is.

If additional information from other sources is used or if the data used is reflective of the researcher's personal opinion, this will be labeled accordingly.

Playtech and Evolution use EUR in their financial reporting, Aristocrat uses AUD, and IGT uses USD. For clarity and comparability of the financial section, the currencies have been converted to USD at the average annual exchange rate. The exchange rates are in Appendix#1.

The conversion of amounts related to Mergers and Acquisitions into USD was carried out at the exchange rate on the date of the transaction's completion. Information about the exchange rates is described in Appendix #2.

For the tables of Members of the Board and Managers, the date format “month, day, year” was used. In cases where “month, day” is not specified, only the “year” is provided.

Document Markup

• FY - Financial Year;
• Q - Quarter;
• YoY - Year-to-Year;
• IGT - International Game Technology PLC;
• Aristocrat - Aristocrat Leisure Limited;
• Evolution - Evolution AB (publ);
• Playtech - Playtech plc;
• Blue links - links to materials outside the document. Opens in a new browser window;
• Green links - links to materials within the current document. Carefully! This type of link jumps over the content of the document. Before clicking a link, it is recommended to remember the current location inside the content;
• This report uses the American number format: a period is used as the decimal separator, while commas separate thousands;
• Year-over-year (YoY) calculations of relative values were not performed in cases where last year's profit changed to a loss in the current year and vice versa within the scope of the current report;
• Aristocrat Annual report period is from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022;
• Evolution AB (publ) Annual report period is from January 1 to December 31, 2022;
  • The specified financial year coincides with the calendar year;
• IGT PLC Annual report period is from January 1 to December 31, 2022;
  • The specified financial year coincides with the calendar year;
• Playtech plc Annual report period is from January 1 to December 31, 2022;
  • The specified financial year coincides with the calendar year.

Short Insights 

• IGT has the most centralized ownership, with 93.07% held by its top 10 shareholders, while Playtech (46.65%), Evolution (46.23%), and Aristocrat (35.84%) show more balanced ownership distribution;
• Evolution has the highest net profit margin at 57.90%, while Playtech and IGT have relatively lower margins. Operating expenses are highest for Playtech (87.36%), indicating a higher cost structure;
• IGT, Aristocrat, Playtech, and Evolution have been accused of financial irregularities, including tax evasion, accounting manipulation, and debt mismanagement.