Australian Gambling-Machine Giant Hires Insider as CLO, Relocates Her to Las Vegas

The Australia-based electronic gambling machine manufacturer Aristocrat Leisure has promoted Anne Tucker to chief legal officer, replacing Christie Hill, who the company said is retiring.

Hill, whose LinkedIn says she resides in Short Hills, New Jersey, has been legal chief since February 2020. She earlier was chief legal officer of Dun & Bradstreet and held senior legal posts at Nextel and Sprint Nextel.

Tucker, who has more than 20 years of legal experience, has been with Aristocrat since 2021, most recently serving as deputy chief legal officer. She earlier held senior roles at Corporate Travel Management and the gambling companies Tatts Group and UniTAB. In connection with Tucker’s promotion, she is relocating from Aristocrat’s suburban Sydney headquarters to the company’s Las Vegas office.

Hill, who is in her 60s, did not reply to request for comment on her retirement announcement.

In a statement Aristocrat CEO Trevor Croker praised Hill, saying she “transformed the legal function, deepening our capabilities and effectively supporting our business through a period of strong growth and change.”

In the statement, Coker highlighted Tucker’s “legal expertise, industry knowledge and strong understanding of our obligations as an ASX-listed company.” He said she “will be integral at this exciting time in Aristocrat’s journey.”

Over the last 25 years, Aristocrat has grown explosively, boosting its stock market value from  $210 million to $24 billion, an 11,297% increase, according to the website Stock Analysis.

The company designs, develops and manufactures slot machines, video poker games and other gambling products. They are known for the iconic Buffalo and 5 Dragons slot machines, along with its Miss Kitty video poker game.

After partnering with the National Football League, the company began distributing its NFL-themed slot machines in August 2023, to 27 casinos across Nevada, California, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Oregon and Arizona. The NFL Super Bowl Jackpots slots are available in all 32 NFL teams, displaying their logos, jerseys and colors.

New York-based BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is the largest Aristocrat shareholder, with a 6% stake.