Leonard Ainsworth

Leonard Hasting "Len" Ainsworth AM (born c. 1923) is an Australian businessman, most widely known for founding Aristocrat Leisure, one of the world's largest gambling-machine companies. He founded the company in 1953, and remained active until 1994; and later founded Ainsworth Gaming Technology, and was an executive director until 2019.^[2]

Len Ainsworth AM
Born	Leonard Hasting Ainsworth 1922 or 1923 (age 101–102)[1] Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia
Occupations	Businessman Philanthropist
Years active	1953-2019
Known for	Aristocrat Leisure
Spouses	Betty Ainsworth ​ (divorced)​ Margarete (Gretel) Ainsworth
Children	7

Career

Ainsworth inherited a small business from his father and began making poker machines to boost revenues for his dental supplies and equipment manufacturing venture. This side-line quickly grew, and Aristocrat Leisure was born in 1953. Today, it is one of the world's largest manufacturers of slot machines and online gaming entertainment.^[3]

Following a 1984 diagnosis of prostate cancer, Ainsworth sold Aristocrat, giving significant funds to his family, several members of which continue the tradition of philanthropy.^[3] Following a clear diagnosis, Ainsworth initially retired and then established Ainsworth Gaming Technology, a manufacturer of up to about 35 percent of Australia’s gambling machines.^[3] Ainsworth sold his majority stake in Ainsworth Gaming Technology to Novomatic for A$473 million, when he was aged 94 years.^[1][4][5]

Personal life

Ainsworth has seven sons, five to his first wife Betty and later, two to his second wife Margarette (Gretel). In 2018, Ainsworth was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his impact on business and manufacturing as well as his service to the community through philanthropic contributions.^[6]

Ainsworth has donated to the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation, UNSW, St Vincent’s Private Hospital and the Children's Medical Research Institute, the University of Wollongong,^[3] and the University of New South Wales.^[7] He has been awarded two honorary doctorates, the first by the University of NSW and most recently in 2019 by the University of Wollongong.^[3] Ainsworth signed The Giving Pledge in March 2017.^[1]

Net worth

In 2019, Ainsworth was ranked 42nd on the Forbes list of 50 wealthiest Australians, with an estimated net worth of US$900 million.^[2] As of May 2025^[update], Ainsworth was listed 24th on the Financial Review 2025 Rich List with an estimated net worth of A$6.69 billion.^[8]

Year	Financial Review Rich List		Forbes Australia's 50 Richest
	Rank	Net worth (A$)	Rank	Net worth (US$)
2014[9]	19	$1.82 billion
2015[10]			24	$1.20 billion
2016[11]			33	$0.76 billion
2017[12][13][14]	11	$3.07 billion
2018[15]	14	$4.02 billion	31
2019[16][1]	17	$4.01 billion	42	$0.90 billion
2020[17]	18	$4.42 billion
2021[18]	16	$5.04 billion
2022	11	$7.70 billion
2023[19]	17	$5.22 billion
2024[20]	19	$5.85 billion
2025[8]	24	$6.69 billion

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