Ryan Comstock has been appointed chief executive officer of Ainsworth Game Technology, effective immediately, the Australia-listed slot machine maker confirmed in an ASX filing on Monday. The appointment ends a six-month acting tenure that began when his predecessor, Harald Neumann, resigned in October 2025.
Six months, then a decision
Comstock stepped into the acting CEO role on October 13, 2025, following Neumann’s abrupt departure — a resignation that came days after the Nevada Gaming Control Board recommended Neumann withdraw his gaming licence application. The NGCB’s assessment included allegations that Neumann had misled investigators and withheld phone records, which effectively ended his tenure at the company.
At the time, Ainsworth launched a comprehensive search for a permanent replacement, with both internal and external candidates under consideration. That process concluded with the board confirming Comstock after reviewing his performance across the six-month acting period.
In its filing, the board stated:
“Mr Comstock has the necessary attributes and experience gained across all operational areas of the company to undertake the role of CEO.”
The board added that its decision followed a formal review of Comstock’s “extensive knowledge across all operational areas of the company, together with initiatives undertaken by him” since October.
A long-term Ainsworth insider
Comstock joined Ainsworth in 2012 and held a range of operational roles before being promoted to chief operating officer in 2018. He is based in Las Vegas. His responsibilities at the company have spanned finance, manufacturing, hardware and software development, compliance, information technology, and operations — a breadth the board cited directly in its assessment.
Before joining Ainsworth, Comstock spent nearly a decade at Deloitte’s audit and assurance practice, serving clients across the gaming, manufacturing, and technology sectors. He holds degrees in accounting and computer information systems from the University of Nevada, Reno, and is a certified public accountant.
Comstock also chairs the <a href=”https://theigaming.eu/2025/11/12/novomatic-italia-wins-b2b-industry-leader-award-at-sigma-2025-showcases-integrated-gaming-and-payment-solutions/”>Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM), a position he assumed at the organisation’s 2025 Annual Meeting. He previously served as AGEM’s Treasurer before succeeding Light & Wonder’s Bob Parente in the chair.
Novomatic ownership context
Ainsworth is majority-owned by <a href=”https://theigaming.eu/2025/09/08/novomatic-completes-sale-of-admiral-austria-to-tipico/”>Novomatic AG, the Austrian gaming equipment manufacturer. In October 2025, around the time of Neumann’s resignation, Novomatic moved to increase its stake in Ainsworth as part of a broader effort to take full ownership of the business. Neumann had previously served as a senior executive at Novomatic before joining Ainsworth as CEO in October 2021, which added a layer of governance complexity the board was navigating throughout the interim period.
The appointment of an internal candidate — one with 13 years at the company — points to a preference for operational continuity over a more disruptive external hire. With Novomatic’s ownership consolidation ongoing, Comstock will need to manage the company’s relationship with its controlling shareholder while maintaining Ainsworth’s position across North American, Latin American, and other gaming equipment markets. The leadership transition at Ainsworth reflects a broader pattern of equipment makers repositioning their senior teams, as seen with <a href=”https://theigaming.eu/2025/09/12/aristocrat-announces-new-leadership-for-interactive-division-and-corporate-affairs/”>Aristocrat’s recent interactive division leadership changes.
Compensation and outlook
When Comstock assumed the acting CEO role in October 2025, his base salary was set at US$625,000 per year, with eligibility for short-term and long-term incentive arrangements. The company has not confirmed whether revised compensation terms apply to the permanent appointment; any new remuneration details are expected in a subsequent ASX release.
Ainsworth’s next scheduled financial reporting will provide the first indication of how the business has performed under Comstock’s leadership and what targets the incoming permanent CEO has set for the year ahead.
Source: Ainsworth Game Technology
