Aristocrat Leisure Ltd saw its net profit (after tax and amortization) for its fiscal first-half year climb 16.8% year-on-year. The Australia-based gaming machine manufacturer’s profit came in at US$290.05 million, driven by better performance in its North American operations.

In a filing with the Australian Securities Exchange (ASE) yesterday, Aristocrat stated that its first-half operating revenue grew by around 30% to around $1.45 billion. Its EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) increased by 19.2%, reaching $528.6 million compared to the $443.5 million a year earlier.

Strong growth in its North American operations helped improve the company’s earnings, according to the filing. It was also able to improve its performance in its home country and in New Zealand by introducing fresh technology and expert talent.

In a statement from an included press release, Aristocrat CEO and Managing Director Trevor Croker stated, “Aristocrat continues to deliver above market profitable growth, leading to strong free cash flow and the ability to reinvest to self-fund future growth, whilst ensuring strong foundations remain in place.”