Butcher-turned-gambling billionaire fights for his casino empire

A customer plays on a gambling machine inside a casino, operated by Novomatic AG, in Wiener Neudorf, Austria

Billionaire Johann Graf has never had to fight on so many fronts at the same time.
The ordinary-man’s gambling company, Novomatic, the 73-year-old Austrian butcher-turned-tycoon created four decades ago, is raking in smaller profits as the pandemic drives people away from slot machines in casinos from Las Vegas to Macau. His company is also battling allegations of corruption, its chief executive has left and it needs to refinance about 1 billion euros (9.4 billion patacas) in debt.
“Not only is it in a delicate sector, but it’s also facing several challenges at once,” said Alois Woegerbauer, the head of 3 Banken-Generali Investment, a Linz, Austria-based firm managing 10 billion euros in holdings, including Novomatic bonds. “Given the weaker sales outlook and the legal issues, the coming months will be decisive to see which direction Johann Graf and the company take.”
This article is based on court documents and interviews with more than 25 business partners, bond investors, lawyers, bankers and former employees who asked not to be identified discussing their relationship with Graf and the company. It seeks to capture the secretive billionaire’s rise and the challenges he now faces.
Graf, whose ascent is the stuff of Austrian folklore, started out as a butcher in post-World War II Vienna, living with his parents in a small apartment with a communal toilet down the hallway. Fifty years on, bankers working on a stock-market listing of Novomatic told Graf his net worth was close to 5 billion euros. The incredulous entrepreneur, polishing off a Viennese Schnitzel at his art-deco city-center guest house, jotted the number down on a napkin and put in his jacket pocket, according to an adviser who was present.
While the listing never happened, the cigar-smoking mogul’s fortune has expanded. It is estimated by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index at $6.6 billion – after a $260 million drop this year – making him the second-richest man in Austria behind Dietrich Mateschitz, the co-founder of energy drink Red Bull.
Graf’s wealth stems mostly from his full ownership of Novomatic, which runs gambling bars, counts Book of Ra, American Poker II and Sizzling Hot among its best-selling games and whose slot machines are installed in the world’s biggest casinos. The company has more than 2,000 gaming facilities across 50 countries.
Business has been hit hard as disposable incomes have shrunk. On a recent afternoon, staff outnumbered clients at the company’s flagship outlet in Vienna’s Prater amusement park. In a hall decorated with gold-colored Egyptian goddesses and mystic signs, four customers sat before screens watching horse races from Paris – a far cry from its heyday when hundreds thronged to Europe’s biggest sports-betting and gambling bar each day.
Even before the pandemic roiled business, Novomatic had been caught up in a political scandal that rocked Austria last year. Then-Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache was covertly filmed on the Spanish island of Ibiza saying “Novomatic pays them all,” as he spoke of political funding to a woman posing as a Russian donor.
The wide-ranging video that brought down the Austrian government also prompted police searches at the homes of Graf, other Novomatic executives and government officials – including Former Finance Minister Hartwig Loeger – allegedly touched by the scandal.
Prosecutors paint a picture of influence peddling on a large scale, alleging that the company promised politicians up to 500,000 euros for favorable legislation and “to help Novomatic gain a casino license in Vienna and a nationwide online license.” Monthly fees were part of a sham consulting contract, they claimed in documents seen by Bloomberg News.
Novomatic denies the allegations, saying the company, its executives and Graf haven’t been involved in any bribery attempts and that the case will be dropped once the facts are established. Heinz-Christian Strache has since retracted his Ibiza comments about the company.
Still, the case marks a turning point for Graf and the gambling empire he built. If charges are brought, banks and customers may reduce or cut ties with the company. S&P says its negative outlook on the company reflects the risk of prosecution, other legal action or “findings of unethical behavior.” Even if no charges are brought, the company may be forced to significantly cut back its Austrian presence.
In either case, it may mean a sea change for Novomatic and its founder, diminishing the role of the country where the enterprise started.
Graf, an avid vintage-car collector, has made sure Novomatic is among Austria’s most sought-after employers with higher-than-average salaries, food courts, private pension contributions and company cars. Local politicians were keen to support Novomatic after the company’s global expansion led to the creation of 3,000 well-paid jobs in the region.
While other company founders in their 70s step back, Graf – only one of whose three sons is active in the business – is still very hands on, people who have worked with him say. Christopher Schrank, a lawyer for Graf, said the entrepreneur isn’t involved in day-to-day decisions at the company.
For now, though, as the cloud of bribery allegations hangs over the company, luring top business talent, renewing licenses, getting bank loans and drawing investors remains a major challenge. Novomatic may have to retreat from some markets or cut staff to boost profits. Selling its iconic building in Vienna is an option it is considering.
Novomatic executives have said they may shrink the Austrian business to take some heat off, noting that it’s no longer a “core” market. MDT/Bloomberg