Light & Wonder and Aristocrat have agreed to settle the years-long legal dispute that centered around the development and sale of an Asian-themed casino game.
Aristocrat and Light & Wonder reached a settlement in both Australia and the U.S., putting an end to the contentious court battle over claims of copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, deceptive trade practices and unfair competition. In 2024, Aristocrat brought a lawsuit in Nevada District Court against Light & Wonder, accusing the company of orchestrating a campaign to copy Dragon Link, a popular game developed by Aristocrat.
Aristocrat claimed Light & Wonder attempted to copy the game by hiring former Aristocrat executives and designers to release another title that copied Dragon Link’s elements.
Aristocrat claimed Light & Wonder hired a former employee, Emma Charles, who worked on the math models for Dragon Link and used her expertise to develop Dragon Train, a Light & Wonder title with similar gameplay to Dragon Link.
“Aristocrat welcomes fair competition but will always robustly defend and enforce its intellectual property rights,” said CEO Trevor Croker. “As an ideas and innovation company our intellectual property is vital to our ongoing success. We are committed to protecting the great work of our dedicated creative and technical teams.”
Light & Wonder debuted Dragon Train in the U.S. in 2024. That year, Dragon Train also emerged as one of the company’s fastest-selling games in Australia.
In September 2024, the court ordered Light & Wonder to pull Dragon Train from casino floors pending a final ruling in the case. As a result, Light & Wonder attempted to develop a new version of its title in question, but will now adhere to its settlement terms with Aristocrat.
Aristocrat & Light & Wonder’s settlement terms
As part of the settlement, Light & Wonder has agreed to pay Aristocrat $127.5 million “in respect of the claims for misappropriation and infringement of its intellectual property.”
Light & Wonder also acknowledged that certain math models were used to develop both Dragon Train and a subsequent game, Jewel of the Dragon, and agreed to pull the titles from casino floors nationwide. The settlement agreement prohibits Light & Wonder from using Aristocrat’s mathematical models and information, with all related documents to be destroyed.
The agreement also dismisses all claims raised by Aristocrat against Light & Wonder.
“Light & Wonder is pleased to resolve this matter and move forward,” said CEO Matt Wilson. “We are firmly committed to doing business the right way—respecting our competitors’ intellectual property rights while protecting our own rights.”
A motion to dismiss filed by Light & Wonder
Light & Wonder attempted to have the case dismissed after filing a motion to dismiss in June 2024, which was denied by a Nevada District court judge, who determined that Aristocrat presented sufficient evidence of the misappropriation of trade secrets. However, the court did dismiss claims of deceptive trade secrets for a failure to adequately explain the claim in court but maintained the claims of trade secret misappropriation behind Charles’ behavior.
The district court also ordered Light & Wonder to pull its Dragon Train title through an injunction that also sparked debate about whether Light & Wonder complied with the ruling.
Light & Wonder & Evolution go to arbitration
Light & Wonder reached a settlement with Aristocrat but is dealing with another IP-related court case that alleges Light & Wonder stole gaming concepts from Evolution Gaming.
The suit centers around a business agreement and Light & Wonder’s Roulette X product.
The suit was first filed in 2024 and dismissed in February 2025, but a Nevada District Court judge allowed Evolution to amend and refile its complaint. The judge sent the refiled case to arbitration in October because of the deal between Evolution and Light & Wonder.
