Austrian prosecutors have filed formal bribery charges against Novomatic owner Johann Graf and former CEO Harald Neumann, escalating a corruption investigation that has wound through Austria’s political and gambling establishment since 2019.
The Charges
Austria’s Public Prosecutor’s Office for Economic Affairs and Corruption (WKStA) filed the charges following an order from the Senior Public Prosecutor’s Office Vienna and the Federal Ministry of Justice. Graf and Neumann face allegations of offering advantages to influence a public official — a charge Austrian law carries a maximum two-year prison term.
The case centres on former Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, who has been charged with accepting advantages for the purpose of influencing others in his official capacity. Strache served as Federal Minister for Civil Service and Sport during the relevant period, when he also held the position of Vice Chancellor within the FPÖ-led coalition government.
According to prosecutors, Strache demanded that Novomatic nominate a candidate — identified as Peter Sidlo — to the supervisory board of Casinos Austria. The WKStA alleges the selection was not based on professional qualifications but on political alignment with Strache and the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). In exchange, prosecutors contend Strache signalled he would act in Novomatic’s interests as a public official, specifically by introducing government bills, exercising voting rights in the Council of Ministers, and participating in policy negotiations.
“The two Novomatic executives allegedly acted with at least conditional intent to influence Strache in his activities as a public official through the described conduct,” the WKStA said in its statement.
Novomatic held a 17.2% stake in Casinos Austria at the time of the events under scrutiny and exercised nomination and voting rights as a shareholder, which prosecutors argue gave Graf and Neumann the means to facilitate the arrangement.
Seven Years in the Making
The investigation opened in 2019, in the aftermath of Austria’s Ibiza affair — a scandal triggered by a secretly recorded video showing Strache allegedly offering public contracts in exchange for media support, which caused the collapse of the ÖVP-FPÖ coalition government. The WKStA subsequently opened parallel probes into suspected bribery and illicit political financing involving Novomatic’s relationships with political figures across multiple parties.
At its peak, the investigation covered more than 100 individuals and a range of allegations. Over the years, prosecutors discontinued most strands of the case against Neumann and Novomatic after finding insufficient evidence of criminal intent. The charges filed in late February 2026 relate to the one remaining allegation — the Casinos Austria board appointment — which Novomatic had expected might also be discontinued.
“Novomatic has consistently rejected all allegations as untrue from the very beginning,” said company spokesperson Alexandra Lindlbauer. “Of the originally numerous accusations, all except this last allegation have already been proven to be unfounded during the course of the investigation and thus resulted in legally binding discontinuations. We are therefore convinced that this last remaining allegation will also prove to be groundless, and we welcome clarification by an independent court.”
The WKStA also investigated Austrian Finance Minister Gernot Blümel in a separate strand of the case. In February 2021, anti-corruption police searched Blümel’s home and Novomatic’s premises on suspicion that a responsible person at the gambling company had offered donations to a political party in return for state support in a tax matter in Italy. Novomatic denied making political donations. Blümel denied accepting them. Published text messages between Blümel and Neumann from 2017 — when Blümel was a Chancellery Minister — indicated Neumann had sought a meeting with then-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz regarding a donation and a legal problem in Italy, though the nature and outcome of any such meeting was not established by prosecutors.
Consequences for Ainsworth Game Technology
The charges carry direct implications for Ainsworth Game Technology (AGT), the Australian slot machine supplier in which Novomatic holds a 67.39% controlling stake. Neumann served as AGT’s CEO from October 2021 until his resignation in October 2025, when the Nevada Gaming Control Board declined to renew his state gaming licence following disclosure of the ongoing investigation.
The governance questions surrounding Neumann’s tenure had already drawn scrutiny from shareholders. Kjerulf Ainsworth, son of company founder Len Ainsworth and holder of a 7.49% stake, led a minority shareholder group that blocked Novomatic’s attempt to take the company fully private. He subsequently called for the resignation of AGT chairman Danny Gladstone over his support for the failed takeover bid and his backing of Neumann’s licensing suitability.
AGT had earlier attracted criticism for not disclosing the Austrian investigation to shareholders at the time Neumann was appointed CEO in 2021. The company argued the probe was too preliminary to require disclosure and that it had informed all relevant gaming regulators. Neumann had passed a probity review before his appointment and held licences in over 100 jurisdictions.
In its most recent statement, AGT confirmed it had been informed by Novomatic that WKStA had filed a demand for prosecution and said the matter was now subject to court process. The company said it would keep the market informed in accordance with its continuous disclosure obligations and was notifying applicable regulators.
Strache’s History of Corruption Proceedings
This is not the first time Strache has faced criminal proceedings arising from the Ibiza affair. He received a 15-month suspended sentence in 2021 in a separate case involving alleged improper assistance to a private clinic. That conviction was subsequently overturned and Strache was acquitted. The new charges relate to a distinct set of allegations — the Casinos Austria appointment — and represent a fresh proceeding rather than a continuation of the earlier case.
What Comes Next
The Vienna court will now determine how the proceedings move forward. No trial date has been announced. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Should convictions result, Austrian law sets the maximum penalty for the relevant offences at two years’ imprisonment.
For Novomatic, one of the largest gambling technology suppliers in Europe, the court process is likely to generate ongoing regulatory scrutiny across the multiple jurisdictions where the group operates. AGT confirmed it is in the process of notifying applicable regulators and will continue to report material developments as required.
Source: WKStA (Austria’s Public Prosecutor’s Office for Economic Affairs and Corruption)
