Sydney - Thursday - August 28: (RWE Aust Business News)...

Sydney - Thursday - August 28: (RWE Aust Business News) -
Aristocrat Leisure Ltd (ASX:ALL) reported a net profit of $71.38 million
for the half year to June 30 2008, down 43.4 per cent compared with the
prior corresponding half.
Revenue was down 16.2pc to $473.94m.
An interim dividend of 14c, fully franked, will be paid September
30 with record date September 9.

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Outlook
Market conditions in general are not expected to improve over the
balance of the year. Aristocrat does however expect to benefit from the
progressive approval and availability of Viridian Gen7 in key markets and
the successful launch of a Japanese game later in the year together with
a continuation of improved pricing and tight cost control.

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Result
The disappointing performance was primarily driven by the impact
of economic and regulatory conditions in Australia and North
America.
Chief executive Paul Oneile said the first half of 2008 was
particularly challenging, with replacement demand in key markets running
at historical lows.
"At the same time, we have suffered from operator reluctance to
purchase product ahead of the availability of our new Viridian cabinet
and Gen7 platform and a larger library of content," he said.
But he said, over the next 12 months the investment in, and
launch of, a number of new products, should position the company to
benefit from the upturn in market demand when global economic conditions
start to improve.
Australian revenue declined 23.2pc while profits fell 37.2pc.
North American revenue declined 15.6pc and profit fell 19.9pc.
Japanese revenue increased by $53.8m to $93.7m while profit
increased by $23.6m to $26.6m.
Results from businesses in emerging markets were mixed with the
lack of new venue openings compared to the previous year, particularly in
the Asia-Pacific region, resulting in a substantial decline in regional
results.
The European market remained relatively soft due to the impact of
smoking bans while South Africa and South America delivered strong
underlying operating revenue and profit growth.