Pokies king Len Ainsworth proud to have led the way

Australian pokies king Len Ainsworth’s advice to achieve global success: ‘You have to have the guts to give it a go.’

Len Ainsworth says he is proud to have led the way.

Australian pokies king Len Ainsworth has some advice for those that want to tread the path that led him to global success: “you have to have the guts to give it a go”.

The 95-year-old billionaire, who will be recognised today with a Member of the Order of Australia, said he was proud that he had shown other Australians how to get into the export business.

Mr Ainsworth founded poker machine manufacturing company Aristocrat Leisure in NSW in the mid-1950s, which went on to dominate what was then a fledgling ­industry. He first expanded in Australia before moving into the US and then Europe and Britain.

He then established Ainsworth Game Technology in 1995. Mr Ainsworth agreed in February 2016 to sell majority of the shares in his company to Austrian giant ­Novomatic but still consults to the company.

The billionaire, who still works full time and has no plans to slow down, said while it is more costly today to expand globally, the prize was worth the challenge.

“There are only 22 million people in Australia but there are hundreds of millions of people elsewhere and there are very few products you can’t sell overseas,” he said.

“You can’t make the same margin overseas that you can make in Australia but people have to have the guts to give it a go. You also need to understand that when you try to make it in the US they don’t roll out the red carpet for you, they try to cut your throat, which is what we would do to anyone who comes into Australia.”

Mr Ainsworth is recognised for his success in business and his philanthropic activities with an order of Australia in the Queen’s birthday honours.

He supported causes through the Ainsworth Philanthropic Charitable and some of the outfits he donated to included the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation for a new clinical services wing, which was named the Ainsworth Building in 2013. He also donated funds to the Macquarie Fields Youth Centre, Project Rainbow.

“I’ve been very successful from a business view point and I’m very lucky and it gives me great joy to be among those people who are in a position to give,” Mr Ainsworth said.

The father of seven has a passion for medical research, which he said has wonderful rewards for people.

“If you find a solution to a disease then you have done something wonderful for mankind.”

Philanthropy is starting to be more recognised in Australia but it still has a way to go to become more culturally ingrained as it is in the US. Mr Ainsworth said he believed Australians would become more involved with philanthropic ventures as the country matured.