Ryan Comstock: Chief Executive Officer, Ainsworth Game Technology

Ryan Comstock is Chief Executive Officer of Ainsworth Game Technology, the Sydney-based slot machine manufacturer listed on the ASX. He stepped in as Acting CEO on 13 October 2025, the same day predecessor Harald Neumann resigned. The Nevada Gaming Control Board had just recommended Neumann withdraw his licence renewal application. Comstock was confirmed as permanent CEO on 10 May 2026, after a six-month board review. He now runs a company caught in a long-running ownership fight. On one side sits its Austrian majority shareholder. On the other sits the family of its Australian founder. Few gaming-technology CEOs have taken the chair with quite so much boardroom noise still playing out.

Ryan Comstock’s Career Timeline at Ainsworth

Comstock built his career in gaming compliance and finance long before he ran the company.

• 2003-2012 – Spent nearly a decade at Deloitte in its audit and assurance practice. He served gaming, manufacturing and technology clients from the firm’s Nevada offices.
• June 2012 – Joined Ainsworth as Director of Finance & Administration in the Americas. He later took on roles spanning manufacturing, hardware and software development, compliance and IT.
• May 2018 – Promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Ainsworth Game Technology. He held the role for more than seven years, based out of Las Vegas.
• 13 October 2025 – Named Acting CEO, effective immediately, after Harald Neumann’s sudden resignation. Ainsworth said it would run a search considering both internal and external candidates.
• 10 May 2026 – Confirmed as permanent CEO. The board cited his extensive knowledge across all operational areas of the company. It also pointed to initiatives he led during his interim tenure.

Comstock holds degrees in accounting and computer information systems from the University of Nevada, Reno. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Nevada State Board of Accountancy. He also chairs the board of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers. That regulatory and compliance grounding shaped the board’s reasoning for choosing him. Ainsworth noted he had “already obtained the required gaming regulatory licensing approvals” through his prior roles. That was a point that mattered, given what had just happened to his predecessor.

Why Ryan Comstock’s Appointment Matters

Ainsworth didn’t just lose a CEO. It lost one over a licensing failure in the toughest gaming jurisdiction in the world. It needed a replacement who wouldn’t repeat the mistake.

• Harald Neumann resigned days after the Nevada Gaming Control Board urged him to withdraw his licence renewal application. That came rather than face formal denial.
• Board members grilled Neumann over inconsistent answers and withheld phone records. One member cited a “lack of emotional intelligence” and called the hearing “very unusual.”
• The scrutiny was compounded by a long-running investigation in Austria. It concerned Neumann’s earlier tenure as CEO of Novomatic AG, Ainsworth’s own majority shareholder.

Comstock’s promotion signalled the board’s preference for a known quantity. It wanted to avoid another outside hire carrying unresolved regulatory baggage. He already held the licences the role required, a rare advantage after a leadership crisis. That crisis had been triggered by exactly that kind of gap. His first results as permanent CEO showed the scale of the turnaround job. Ainsworth’s first-half 2026 revenue fell 23% to $116.5 million, driven by a steep 38% drop in North America. Comstock has pointed to new cabinet launches, AI-assisted game development and cost discipline as his path back to growth. Whether that plan works will define his tenure, just as much as the circumstances that created it.

Ryan Comstock’s Ownership and Family Background

Comstock runs a company still contested by the family of the man who built it. It is also contested by the European group trying to take full control.

Ainsworth Game Technology was founded in 1995 by Len Ainsworth. He had earlier founded Aristocrat Leisure in 1953, building it into one of the world’s largest slot machine makers. Novomatic AG, the Austrian gaming giant, acquired roughly 53% of Ainsworth directly from Len Ainsworth in 2018. Novomatic has spent the past two years trying to buy out the rest of the company. Its bid to take Ainsworth private failed in February 2026. Novomatic reached only 67.4%, against the 75% threshold it needed. Len Ainsworth’s son, Kjerulf Ainsworth, led the resistance to that bid. He has run repeated proportional takeover offers of his own. These lifted his stake from roughly 7% to more than 9.5%, at a premium price above Novomatic’s bid. Kjerulf has said publicly that he has no intention of selling. He has continued pursuing legal action on behalf of minority shareholders.

The dispute has since widened beyond ownership stakes. At Ainsworth’s May 2026 annual general meeting, two senior figures made a disclosure. Chairman Danny Gladstone and company secretary Mark Ludski admitted receiving a combined AU$15 million in undisclosed payments in 2018. Those payments were tied to Novomatic’s original acquisition of Len Ainsworth’s stake. Kjerulf Ainsworth has since called for both men to resign. Comstock, as CEO, sits at the operational centre of all this. Ainsworth’s board and largest shareholders remain in open conflict over its governance and its future ownership.

Regulatory Context Facing Ryan Comstock

Ainsworth manufactures gaming machines for casinos worldwide. That means Comstock inherits a licensing footprint spanning dozens of jurisdictions, each with its own scrutiny of company officers.

• Ainsworth is licensed as a gaming machine dealer in New South Wales, where its Newington headquarters sits. It holds similar approvals across other Australian states.
• The company holds gaming equipment manufacturer licences in Nevada and other US states. That is the exact category of approval that cost Neumann his job.
• Ainsworth also operates through sales offices and licensed entities across New Zealand, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Each carries its own supplier or manufacturer approval requirements.
• As a public company on the ASX, Ainsworth is also subject to Australian continuous disclosure and takeover regulation. Both are actively in play through the Novomatic and Kjerulf Ainsworth bids.

Comstock’s own licensing position looks secure for now. Ainsworth has stated repeatedly that he already holds the regulatory approvals the CEO role requires. But his predecessor’s exit is a reminder of the risk. Gaming-equipment licensing in the United States, Nevada above all, can end a career fast if a regulator loses confidence. Comstock will also need to keep the company’s other jurisdictions comfortable. That task continues while the Novomatic-Ainsworth family standoff generates headlines and shareholder litigation risk.

FAQs About Ryan Comstock

Who is Ryan Comstock, CEO of Ainsworth Game Technology?

Ryan Comstock is the Chief Executive Officer of Ainsworth Game Technology, a Sydney-based gaming machine manufacturer listed on the ASX. He was appointed permanently in May 2026, after serving as Acting CEO from October 2025. Comstock joined Ainsworth in 2012 and was Chief Operating Officer from 2018.

How did Ryan Comstock become CEO of Ainsworth?

Comstock stepped in as Acting CEO on 13 October 2025, when Harald Neumann resigned after a Nevada licensing setback. The board reviewed his performance over six months. On 10 May 2026, it confirmed him as permanent CEO, citing his operational experience and existing regulatory approvals.

What was Ryan Comstock’s career before Ainsworth?

Comstock spent nearly a decade at Deloitte’s audit and assurance practice, serving gaming, manufacturing and technology clients. He joined Ainsworth in 2012 in finance, rising to Chief Operating Officer in 2018. He holds accounting and computer information systems degrees from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Is Novomatic still trying to take over Ainsworth under Ryan Comstock?

Yes, in effect. Novomatic’s formal takeover bid lapsed in February 2026, short of the 75% threshold needed to privatise Ainsworth. It still holds a controlling stake of over 67%. Founder’s son Kjerulf Ainsworth continues buying shares and opposing Novomatic’s board proposals.

Why did Ryan Comstock’s predecessor leave Ainsworth?

Harald Neumann resigned in October 2025 after the Nevada Gaming Control Board recommended he withdraw his licence renewal application. Board members criticised his conduct during the hearing as evasive and difficult. The scrutiny also touched an ongoing investigation in Austria tied to his earlier career.

Read more executive profiles from across the wagering and gaming sector on our executives hub.

Gambling Executive Sources

Career timeline

• Ainsworth CEO Harald Neumann resigns, COO Ryan Comstock appointed acting CEO – Yogonet
• Ainsworth ends hunt for new CEO with familiar face – iGaming Expert

Why this appointment matters

• ‘Attitude Stinks:’ Ainsworth CEO Resigns After Slapdown from Nevada Regulators – Casino.org
• Ainsworth Game Technology (ASX:AGI) Targets Recovery Through New Product Releases – Kalkine

Ownership and family background

• Novomatic takeover of Australia’s Ainsworth Game Technology falls well short of target – Inside Asian Gaming
• “I’m not selling”: Kjerulf Ainsworth vows to continue shareholder fight – Inside Asian Gaming
• Kjerulf Ainsworth Increases Share in Ainsworth Game Technology – World Casino Directory

Regulatory context

• Harald Neumann steps down as Ainsworth CEO following Nevada licensing snub – CDC Gaming

Background

• Ryan Comstock, Executive Team – Ainsworth Game Technology