Aristocrat to Acquire Hanson Distributing

A privately held company, Hanson has been representing Aristocrat and its products in the upper Midwest region of the United States since 1990. Hanson's territory comprises the oldest tribal casino market in the country and includes Native American casinos in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and North and South Dakota. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.

Hanson has been Aristocrat's only external distributor of products and services in the U.S. On completion of the transaction, Aristocrat will manage all distribution channels for its products and services in the United States.

As part of the agreement, Scott Nelson, president and owner of Hanson, will join the Aristocrat organization. Hanson employees will also become part of Aristocrat's sales and service organization, and will now provide the entire range of Aristocrat products including games, progressive jackpot links, the OASIS casino management system and visual displays.

``We are very enthusiastic about becoming a true part of the Aristocrat organization,' said Nelson. ``Hanson and Aristocrat have been key associates for more than a decade and feel that now we will be able to contribute more directly to the growth of the company. Most importantly, casino customers will benefit from the addition of the full resources of Aristocrat.'

``As an industry leader, our continuing emphasis must be to provide our Aristocrat product portfolio in a consistent manner to all our customers worldwide,' stated Des Randall, Chief Executive Officer of Aristocrat. ``At the same time, we recognize the importance of providing uniform and high level service and support. The extensive knowledge and experience of the Hanson team in the US market will be a valuable asset for Aristocrat.'

Mark Newburg, president of Aristocrat's U.S. company, added, ``We welcome the opportunity to continue to utilize the expertise and experience of Scott and the entire Hanson staff. Bringing the Hanson organization into the fold is a key part of our commitment to realign our entire organization to work in partnership with our customers. We also have been focused on consolidating all the resources of our `new' U.S. company following the acquisition of Casino Data Systems (CDS) in June and the inclusion of Hanson will continue to strengthen the organization and our commitment to our customers.'

Aristocrat Technologies, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of global gaming leader Aristocrat Leisure Limited, is responsible for all North and South American operations from its headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada. With its acquisition of Casino Data Systems in June 2001, Aristocrat now employs a staff of more than 600 and offers a diversified product line that reaches into virtually all facets of the casino floor. In addition to both video and stepper slots, the company provides casino management systems, multi-site progressive (MSP) systems, progressive jackpot meters and customized overhead sign packages. The company is operates in all major gaming jurisdictions and holds 22 licenses in various states and with more than 80 Native American tribal casinos in the United States.

From its worldwide headquarters in Sydney, Australia, Aristocrat pioneered the gaming industry move to video slot technology and continues to demonstrate its mastery of games with higher player appeal in more than 30 countries. The company employs more than 2,200 people across the globe and draws annual revenues in excess of AUD$540 million.

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