The CEO of Australian slot machine giant Aristocrat Leisure Ltd, Trevor Croker, has revealed the company will roll out new responsible gameplay technology into the domestic market before the end of March after receiving approval from some state regulators.

Providing a detailed outlook for the year ahead to investors during Aristocrat’s Annual General Meeting on Friday, Croker said regulators in the Australian states and territories of New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT have now approved the first games to incorporate “Flexiplay” technology, which it plans to roll out during the current quarter.

“Flexiplay” allows players to voluntarily set time limits and quarantine winnings from being played down via the timer and piggy bank functions, he explained.

“We are preparing to place the first of these games in market in the first quarter of this year,” Croker said. “Our customers have been very supportive of ‘Flexiplay’. We look forward to learning more from the release of ‘Flexiplay’ and to applying the lessons to further product-based RG innovations in future.”

According to Croker, this second generation of responsible gameplay feature, which follows on from Aristocrat’s original “Bluegum” EGM product, was trialed in 2019 before recently gaining regulatory approval.

“Aristocrat is proud of our track record of investing in the development and testing of machine-based responsible gaming features,“ Croker said.

“This is just one example, but it speaks to Aristocrat’s approach in this complex area. We seek to lead, we strive to work collaboratively with customers and other stakeholders, and we focus on bringing forward commercially viable options that enhance player empowerment and choice.”