That's unusual - USPC doesn't usually put date codes on the Ace of Spades for print runs being produced for third parties.

Go ahead and give it a shot if you like, but USPC are not likely to discuss their casino business with you unless you're a purchaser for a casino.  But to sum it up in as few words as possible, to the best of my knowledge - casinos make up the majority of their custom printing business, hence the reason why they have a different division to handle casino sales.  They pay well and order in huge quantities, so they tend to get whatever it is that they request.

If I approach the Custom Department, as some have in the past, and asked for a deck to be traditionally cut, they'll hem and haw over it, tell me that it will come out with a rough edge, etc.; casinos get traditionally cut cards most of the time and no one at USPC's Casino Department bats an eyelash about it.  Perhaps decks made using the web press are easier to traditionally cut than ones from the sheet-fed press?  I have no idea.  As far as I know, they use the same cutter and have the same sheet size.

Casinos also get security features built into their decks and often order decks that are pre-shuffled, premium services that simply aren't offered in the Custom Department.

To summarize, they apply the golden rule - he who has the gold (and is willing to spend it) makes the rules!  You can't fault them for it - they're a business, not a charity.

Hi Don,

thank you for the reply and your other writings in this forum, I have learnt very much here reading your posts. My interest in playing cards is new, but I find the USPC making their own card stock very intriguing subject. It seems for most people the interest in the manufacturing part is quite low - old half truths and misconceptions are abound. Yes I agree I don't have too high hopes of USPC revealing much about their operations, but I'll try to get something.
They have some brochures about their casino offerings and the process in their website:
http://www.usplayingcard.com/casino/

The date on the Aristocrats does imply (like you have written) that the Aristocrat red & blue are somewhat in-house production from USPC. "Somewhat" because they don't sell them straight to consumers themselves, so maybe it is more in line of "available for production wholesale orders". The original run from 2011 also has production codes on the AoS like mine do.
http://playingcards.wdfiles.com/local--files/other-uspcc%3Aaristocrat-banknote/Aristocrat%20Bank%20Note%20Reprints.JPG
The green edition which has ad cards from Magic-apple and Art of play doesn't have a production code on the AoS.

The web press and its relation to traditional cut is another interesting subject. I have a feeling that at present time the "standard order of production", meaning the way of production that is used for most everything they make (=casino orders, standard designs of their own consumer brands) ends up with a traditional cut. All my standard Bicycle, Bicycle Seconds, Bee, Tally-Ho decks are from 2015-2016, and each one is traditionally cut. On the other the hand custom decks I have (Mandolin back Bicycles (2016)*, the Aristocrats in question (2015), an Ellusionist deck (2014)*, a custom Bee branded deck (2014)*) are all cut with the blade entering from the back side.

* dates from tuck cases or the internet, as none of these have a date on the AoS.