Len Ainsworth (born c. 1923, Kempsey, New South Wales) began his career manufacturing dental equipment before entering the gaming industry. In 1953 he founded Aristocrat Leisure, which grew into one of the world’s largest slot‑machine companies.
After a cancer diagnosis in 1984, he sold his stake in Aristocrat to his family and retired, but later founded Ainsworth Game Technology in 1995 at age 72. He served as an executive director of AGT until 2019, when he sold his majority stake to Novomatic.
Ainsworth is a noted philanthropist, having signed The Giving Pledge in 2017. He has donated to medical research, education, and children’s hospitals, and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2018.
Career History
| Company | Role | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Aristocrat Leisure | Founder and Chairman/Executive Director | 1953-01-01 – 1994-01-01 |
| Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd | Executive Director | 1995-01-01 – 2019-01-01 |
| Aristocrat Gaming | Founder | – present |
| Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd | Founder | – present |
| Aristocrat Leisure | Founder | – present |