A man plays an NFL themed slot machine by Aristocrat Gaming in the Media Center ahead of the Super Bowl 58 NFL football game, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Las Vegas.
- Hector Fernandez, CEO of global gamemaker Aristocrat, told CNBC that his company is trying to "aggressively defend our IP that we create."
- He also said the company is focused on digital opportunities as well as casino games.
Aristocrat Gaming CEO Hector Fernandez told CNBC that digital opportunities are key to the company's future — as is ensuring its intellectual property is protected.
Fernandez said he welcomes competition, but added that "one of the things that is pivotal for us is to aggressively defend our IP that we create."
The global gamemaker sued competitor Light & Wonder in federal court, accusing it of copyright infringement and claiming that Light & Wonder's "Dragon Train" game too closely resembled its own Dragon Link games.
The District Court of Nevada agreed and issued a preliminary injunction against Light & Wonder in late September. Light & Wonder said it disagrees with the ruling — but dismissed one of the designers who worked on the game.
Light & Wonder told CNBC it has complied with the court's order and plans to modify Dragon Train and relaunch it in the future.
Money Report
Shares of the casino gamemakers generally have outpaced those of casino operators this year. Light & Wonder shares were up roughly 37% year to date until the September court decision. It's still up 17% this year.
Shares of Aristocrat, traded in Australia, are up 41% this year.
Fernandez also told CNBC that the company is focused on digital opportunities as part of its overall strategy. Though online casino gambling, known as iGaming, in the United States is only licensed in six states, its gross gaming revenue is growing nearly as fast as sports betting, according to the American Gaming Association.
FanDuel, the nation's market share leader in iGaming, said at a September investor day that its most popular online games are typically brands that gamblers play at brick-and-mortar casinos.
Fernandez told CNBC his priority is creating game content that appeals to players and that convinces his customers that those games will work on the casino floor.
