But Len – who went on to found rival poker machine maker Ainsworth Game technology – doesn't have too much reason to complain about the superior performance of his old shop.

More than two decades have passed since Len retired from Aristocrat Leisure, but he is still receiving the sort of retirement perks that Odell could only dream about.

As Odell lamented to Aristocrat investors at its 2011 investor meeting, Ainsworth still receives a car from Aristocrat "for the term of his natural life". And as Odell noted: "Yes, he changes cars."

It made CBD wonder what sort of wheels Aristocrat is currently providing for its founding father.

"As part of the arrangement agreed with Len Ainsworth around 20 years ago, Aristocrat provides a new car to Len every three years and meets running costs.   Len is currently driving a Porsche Cayenne, which the company leases," a company spokesman told CBD.

Who can begrudge 93-year-old Len some fast wheels to get to the office a bit quicker. No doubt there is room for his famous paper bag lunch in the glove box.

"It accelerates like a rocket," says Len who added that its diesel engine means the fuel economy is pretty good too.

And the Cayenne would make a great second-hand purchase for someone when the lease expires next year. Len says he only manages to rack up about 12,000 kilometres a year, on his trips to and from work as well as the occasional down to his property in Bowral.

And what car is Len planning to get once lease is up on the Porsche.

"I might ask for a Rolls-Royce as a final gift," Len told CBD.

Given he will receive a car for the term of his natural life we hope that doesn't mean what we think it means. 

Lightning strikes   

Odell may have decided to rest on his laurels after a measly eight years at Aristocrat, but Ainsworth told CBD that he has no plans to retire despite more than 60 years in the industry. This is despite the fact that he stood down as chairman of AGI last month after selling his majority stake in the company.

"The trouble I have is that I enjoy what I'm doing," he says.

As for Aristocrat's battering of AGI in its latest result, Ainsworth has a word of warning.

"They struck it lucky with a game," says Len, citing the pokie game Lightning as the one that triggered the recent jackpot for Aristocrat.

"The games that are really exceptional are few and far between," he warned.

"We have things in the wings that we think will beat the shit out of Aristocrat." 

Fool's gold 

As Thailand's new King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun ascended to the throne on Friday, Ross Smyth-Kirk's Kingsgate Consolidated released another update on the future of its troubled Thai gold mine, Chatree.

The Thai authorities have told the gold miner that they are in the process of developing a new mineral management policy.

This is great news.

The bad news is, Kingsgate has no idea what the new policy will be, when it will be ready, or whether the miner will be informed when it is.

Its current licence at Chatree expires in four weeks, which would then require Kingsgate to place its only operational mine in care and maintenance mode until further notice.

While on the subject of follies. Ross Shrimpton's labour hire and training outfit, Ashley Services Group, received an early Christmas present from its investors – a class action suit alleging mis-statements in its 2014 prospectus.

Ashley, which is suspended from trading while it tears up the game plan and conducts a strategic review of what remains of its business, says it will vigorously defend its position.

Shrimpton is now going into the Christmas break with separate battles against the Victorian government, the NSW government and his fellow investors.

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