Johann Graf (born 1946) is an Austrian businessman, the founder and owner of Novomatic, an Austrian gambling company.
Early life
Graf was born in Austria in 1946. Graf was born in a one bedroom flat and was raised by his grandparents. His first line of work was an apprentice butcher and it was presumed that he would follow in the line of the family business and assume control of the family’s butcher shop. It was in 1974 when he decided that he would venture off on his own.
Career
Graf’s professional career started in 1974. It was then that Graf founded Gerhard Brodnik the Brodnik & Graf GmbH. This company specialized in importing Belgian pinball machines to be set up in pubs, cafes and brothels.
Personal life
Graf is divorced with three children and lives in Vienna. He collects vintage cars and owns some 120, most of which are Jaguars. The eldest of his three children is the chief technology officer of Novomatic.
According to Forbes’ list of global billionaires, he is listed at number 208 with a net worth of $7 billion as of July 2015.
Austrian billionaire and businessman Johann Graf has an estimated net worth of $9.16 billion in January 2018. Considered as one of the wealthiest persons in Austria, Johann Graf earned most of his net worth for being the founder as well as majority owner of Novomatic Group of companies. Today, the company operates in 32 countries and exports devices to over 70 countries worldwide. As of 2011, the company’s revenue is estimated to be around $4.3 billion, and currently, it hires approximately 18,000 employees. It was in 1974 when his professional career started. He founded Gerhard Brodnik the Brodnik & Graf GmbH which specialized in importing Belgian pinball machines which were set up in brothels, cafes and pubs. Today, the company operates in around 1,200 sports betting and gaming venues as well as electronic casinos.
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