A federal court in Nevada has changed course and granted Aristocrat Technologies’ renewed request to access the mathematical models used in certain Light & Wonder “Hold & Spin” slot games released since 2021.
This discovery order is part of an ongoing lawsuit where Aristocrat claims that Light & Wonder used its trade secrets to create the “Dragon Train” and other similar games. The timeframe covered by the order lines up with the period when former Aristocrat game designer Emma Charles worked at Light & Wonder. She joined the company in 2021 and was later let go after a preliminary injunction found it was “extremely likely” that Light & Wonder had relied on Aristocrat’s proprietary math models to develop its popular titles.
Light & Wonder confirmed the court’s latest decision in a statement issued Friday (October 17): “The Nevada Court heard argument today and granted Aristocrat’s renewed motion to obtain discovery of math models for certain Light & Wonder hold and spin games released since 2021, when Emma Charles joined the company.
“The Court previously denied a similar motion. While we are disappointed with the Court’s ruling, we remain confident, based on the expert review we previously disclosed, that there is no evidence of Aristocrat math being used in any commercially released games other than Dragon Train and Jewel of the Dragon.”
The statement added that “the U.S. litigation process continues with fact discovery set to close on December 15, 2025 and expert discovery closing on March 16, 2026.”
Light & Wonder attempts to protect its materials amid Aristocrat case
Court filings reviewed by ReadWrite show Light & Wonder is still pushing to protect its internal design materials. In a September filing supporting Aristocrat’s request to keep certain exhibits sealed, the company argued that revealing its proprietary game information could cause significant commercial damage.
According to the document: “Redacted portions of the reply contain nonpublic details relating to the development and math of several L&W games, including certain unreleased games and L&W’s internal processes for game development. The unprotected disclosure of L&W’s internal game development processes to competitors would result in economic or competitive injury to L&W.”
Light & Wonder further warned that “even a ‘glimpse’ into business and development strategies could harm L&W’s ‘competitive standing,’” citing previous Nevada and federal rulings that justify sealing such information.
The dispute centers on whether Light & Wonder’s newer “Hold & Spin” games use mathematical algorithms based on Aristocrat’s proprietary systems. The titles under review reportedly include games released after Dragon Train and Jewel of the Dragon, both of which performed well commercially before legal challenges led Light & Wonder to adjust its lineup.
In April, the company announced it would stop selling Jewel of the Dragon and said that another unreleased game would not move forward because of similar intellectual property concerns.
Then in June, Light & Wonder reorganized its in-house legal team as it continued to face multiple copyright lawsuits. Industry observers say the move is part of a larger effort to strengthen compliance and better manage ongoing litigation.
Featured image: Light & Wonder / Aristocrat
