Aristocrat Gaming The Best Seat in the House
Just one month into his appointment, G3 interviewed Craig Toner, CEO of Aristocrat Gaming at ICE Barcelona 2025. In this exclusive interview, he shares his insights on innovation, market growth, and what’s next for Aristocrat Gaming under his leadership.
Seven years with Aristocrat as Chief Financial Officer and EVP of Operations. What experience do you bring to the CEO role?
I joined Aristocrat in 2017, initially based in Australia with responsibility for the Asia-Pacific region. Eighteen months later, my remit expanded to include Europe, before taking on the role of Chief Financial Officer in 2018. During my tenure in finance, I partnered closely with sales and marketing teams on strategy, execution, and key customer partnerships, which gave me a deep understanding of our customer base.
As EVP of Operations in 2020, I managed strategic sourcing, demand management, and logistics. My operational background, including prior roles at Lion, a leading Australasian beverage company, has equipped me with a broad perspective across finance, supply chain, strategy, and M&A. Tese experiences have shaped my leadership approach as I step into the CEO role.
How would you describe your management style and the qualities you bring to the CEO role?
Collaboration is central to my leadership style. I focus on bringing diverse teams together to drive integration and innovation. As we integrated NeoGames and establish Aristocrat Interactive, there’s a significant opportunity to present a unified front to our customers. My goal is to foster a “One Aristocrat” mindset, ensuring seamless collaboration across all areas of the business.
As Aristocrat and Aristocrat Interactive come together, what are the most important elements to get right?
Driving synergy and scale is critical. We’re focused on leveraging strengths in one area and replicating them across others. A continuous “One Aristocrat” mindset is essential to ensure engagement and collaboration. For example, our presence at ICE
22
Barcelona demonstrated this integration, with Aristocrat Gaming and Aristocrat Interactive showcased on a single booth. It’s a tangible example of our united approach and the breadth of talent, experience, and products we offer across both land-based and digital platforms.
Are customers recognising the new opportunities Aristocrat and Aristocrat Interactive offer?
Yes, absolutely. At events like ICE, customers are drawn to innovations such as Phoenix Link and the Baron Upright cabinet. Tese products bring our creativity to life and highlight how we can drive value for their businesses. Simultaneously, we discuss their online aspirations and how we can support them across all aspects of their operations. Tis multifaceted approach shifts the conversation from transactional to strategic partnerships.
What does “One-Stop Shop” (OSS) mean for Aristocrat moving forward?
OSS represents our ability to combine exceptional content and award-winning hardware with a multi-channel strategy that supports customer growth. Tis approach ensures that Aristocrat Gaming’s titles are seamlessly integrated into Aristocrat Interactive offerings, creating a consistent and compelling player experience.
So we’ll see Aristocrat Gaming’s titles across Aristocrat Interactive’s platforms?
Absolutely. Our strategy involves taking top-performing land-based content and turbocharging its presence online. For instance, the success of Buffalo in capturing significant online market share demonstrates the potential. Maintaining a consistent player experience across land-based and online platforms is paramount to this strategy.
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